Fire and Ice
by rushosmj
Summary: Kisara Yukidurama is set to marry a rich merchant in order to save her clan. Lucky for her a certain Uchiha has been hired to be her bodyguard! ItachiXOC, fits into main story before Shippuden.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! Thanks so much for reading! Any comments, questions, suggestions etc, are appreciated!**

* * *

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice. –Robert Frost

Chapter 1: The Gift

Kisara Yukidurama splashed some cool water on her face as she leaned on her bathroom sink. She looked into the mirror and glared at her reflection. Large, green eyes greeted her along with the unpleasant expression. Today was the day that she had been ignoring mentally for over a month. Rallying herself, she splashed her face once more with water. Normally a happy and cheerful person, today she felt sullen and moody. This was a fact that her close friend Yuri, did not fail to notice.

"Kisa-chan, are you quite alright?" Yuri's anxious voice asked through the bathroom door.

"Yes, yes, I'm almost done". She replied as she was jarred from her inner broodings.

"Well good, need to get you dressed and ready soon, Lord Matsuoka will be here any minute!"

Kirasa's green eyes narrowed in distaste at her reflection. Lord Matsuoka could wait ten years, let alone ten more minutes as far as she was concerned. However, Yuri was right. Kisara's new husband, her duty to the clan, and to the Shimogakure, the Village Hidden in the Frost, couldn't wait.

Kisara took one last cursory glance at her reflection which continued to glare back at her. _Some help you are going to be,_ she thought aggressively at herself. She grasped the side of the shoji panel and slid it open to reveal her friend's face. Yuri had a kind, and care-free look about her that allowed Kisara to think all the more fondly of her. Yuri was only two years older that Kisara's own age of eighteen, though already she had fine laugh-lines around her eyes and mouth.

Kisara walked stiffly over to her dresser pulling out a light green kimono and matching obi with vigor and distaste. Even though the fabric was beautiful, Kisara always felt the need to itch her skin whenever she wore silk, almost as if it didn't belong on her body. She allowed Yuri to assist her with stepping into the outfit before quickly brushing her hair and placing it into a secure bun. Usually, Kisara preferred to wear her long silver hair in a lose braid but today was a special occasion, as Yuri lightly reminded her and ignored her grumblings.

 _Special occasion indeed,_ Kisara snorted along with the thought. Kisara was second in-line after her brother for the position of head of the Yukidurama clan, and it was all the more reason that she should be training in the Shinobi arts, not preparing for her betrothal. However, as evidenced by the splendid kimono that her brother had ordered for the occasion, the clan as a whole had other needs for her other than to be the 'backup' clan head.

After Yuri had executed the complex knot of the obi with practiced ease, Kisara hurried out of her quarters, down one of the long hallways, and into the main entrance hall of the Big House. Yuri padded along almost silently behind her thanks to her soft tabi socks. The Big House, as the rest of the village called it, housed Kisara, her brother Kira, and other prominent members of the Yukidurama clan such as Yuri. The other clans and villagers lived in the surrounding houses which bordered the Big House in an artful, and defensive, pattern.

As she walked quickly into the main entrance hall, she caught sight of her older brother, Kira, and quickly stepped into the shadows before he saw her. He was smiling his best "head-of-the-clan" smile and shaking hands with the head of the Matsuoka clan. Kira, like his sister, also had the trademark silver hair of the Yukidurama clan. Most of the members did including Yuri, it was said that to an outsider, a group of Yukidurama looked like snowflakes fluttering across the frozen landscape. Kisara had been told that their mother and father, who had been second cousins, also had the tell-tale silver hair, though Kisara didn't remember it.

Kisara and Kira's mother, Kanna, died in childbirth along with their younger brother. Their father, Kumo, had died of illness two years later. Since then, her brother had been groomed for the position of clan-head. Until Kira had reached his eighteenth birthday and taken over the position of clan head, the clan had been led by several regents. Kira had turned eighteen four winters ago, and since then had devoted himself to restoring the Yukidurama and Shimogakure.

Kisara took a few minutes to admire her brother. Before he took his position four years earlier, they had been inseparable. But of course, that had changed once Kira had been landed with all of his responsibilities. And as busy as he was as clan-head, he became even busier when he was chosen as the Yukikage, an incredible honor for one as young as he. Yes, Kisara was extremely proud of her brother, but she had to admit that she missed him greatly. She fondly remembered their daily training sessions, as it was Kira who had first shown her how to throw a kuni, and it was Kira who had first shown her how to activate the Yukidurama blood-line-limit of ice jutsu.

Kira was still smiling at the Matsuoka clan head, no-doubt exchanging pleasantries and formalities as they awaited her arrival. As Kisara stood in the shadows, she took several deep breaths in order to rouse herself from her thoughts. In her head she knew all of the reasons she had to—no, that she _must_ , do this, but her heart was beating wildly inside of her chest, the blood was screaming at her to run from this place. Even though she knew mentally what it would mean for her clan if she went through with her "duty", she couldn't help feeling like a trapped and caged wolf, darting back and forth between the bars, hoping to take a chunk out of one of her captors.

Yuri, who was behind Kisara, and used to her childhood best-friend's musings, gave her a gentle push. "Come on, it won't be that bad." She admonished.

Kisara, shook herself almost like the wolf she had been imagining. _Enough now,_ she thought, _this is it_. Kisara steadied herself, and stepped out into the main hallway of the house.

"Kisa-chan it's about time!" cried her brother, as he turned to greet her with a genuine smile. "It's rude to let Lord Matsuoka wait for his future bride".

Kisara bristled as the title that Kira brandied about so lightly, then composed herself before addressing the Lord. "Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Matsuoka." She said stiffly before bowing to the _much_ older man.

"No need for apologies or formalities my dear, we are family now!" Lord Matsuoka cried, before giving her a quick sweep with heavily-lidded eyes. He bowed in response to her greeting, and straightened to his full height.

This was the first time that Kisara had seen Lord Matsuoka this close and she took the opportunity to drink in what she saw. He was a large, balding man of fifty-five with a wide, flat face and small brown eyes. He was about a foot taller than Kisara, and though his belly held the tell-tale signs of age, his arms could not hide the ropes of heavy muscle. Indeed, the Lord was a true specimen of the Land of Lightening. His skin boasted the darker hue of his people, a dark brown which was in stark contrast to his lighter hair. Kisara had first thought that it was strange for a man who was so dark of complexion to have white hair, but she found that it wasn't _completely_ unappealing.

Surprisingly, the Lord had never been married before, despite his large fortune, but it was suspected that he had at least three illegitimate children with the maids of his household. After seeing him, she knew that this was only what it appeared to be-a marriage of convenience and political gain. There would be no love in this match, though she hoped there would at least be fondness….eventually.

"Well now, isn't this a happy day?" Kira said, smiling again. "Why don't we all take some time to get to know one another? Kisa-chan, you simple _must_ give the Lord a tour of the house!"

"Oh, alright." Kisara cringed at how unenthusiastic she sounded even to her own ears. Sighing heavily again, Kisara led the little group as the two men lapsed back into their shallow conversation. Yuri, as amiable as always, followed along in their wake.

* * *

Itachi Uchiha let out a low grunt as he threw his newly packed mission bag over one shoulder. After taking a moment to scan around his room in case he had forgotten something, he walked out into the hallway of the Akatuski's latest hideout. This hideout was the best one so far because it actually had a library where Itachi chose to spend most of his time when he wasn't on a mission. The hideout was in a large building in Hidden Rain as Leader was currently working to make himself the Kage of the territory.

As he moved out into one of the larger "living" areas, he came face-to-face with Kisame and Deidara. The blonde Shinobi was fiddling with some of his explosive clay with his tongue between his teeth, eyes squinting in concentration while the Mist-nin was taking a quick snooze at the table with both feet propped up onto another chair. Presumably he was getting some last-minute rest before their mission. Itachi observed the scene a bit more then moved on.

Deidara looked up from what he was doing long enough to address the ex-Leaf nin. "Hey! Where do you think you are going, yeah? We have a meeting with Leader later".

Itachi slowed just enough to turn and respond, "Yes, I am aware. But as you have obviously forgotten, Kisame and I are exempt from this and several future meetings because of our latest assignment…Deidara-san." He added as an afterthought.

Deidara looked affronted for a moment then said, "Of course, you too always get the 'special' assignments, yeah." He muttered, looking for a moment like a pouting child. But of course, Itachi reminded himself, Deidara was only in his early teens.

Itachi simply continued to walk forward as if Deidara had not addressed him.

"Hey yo-" Started Deidara before he caught Kisame grinning at him. Deidara gulped after looking at the rows of shark teeth.

"Don't be so quick to pick fights, blondie. If you do, Itachi's Sharingan isn't the only thing that you would have to worry about." Kisame grinned once more showing the significantly alarming array of pointed teeth before following after Itachi

"I wasn't picking a fight, yeah". Deidara huffed lightly and turned back to his clay molding.

* * *

After a nauseating morning of more pleasantries and formalities with her brother, and Lord Matsuoka, who had absolutely _insisted_ that she call him Hajime-kun, Kisara needed a break. She politely excused herself from their business dealings, and headed back to her rooms. Yuri, as always, followed her.

Once in her room, she hastily shed her kimono without waiting for any assistance as it was almost unbearable itchy. She politely handed the bundle to Yuri, and donned her much preferred, and as far as she was concerned, more appropriate, attire for someone of her station. She dragged on fitted grey pants and a blue-grey shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves. She attached her weapons pouch to her left thigh and her sword holder across her left shoulder. She let down her silver hair from the punishing bun, scratched her scalp in bliss, and tied her hair into a high ponytail. Lastly, she tied the blue hita-aki to her forehead, its silver surface adorned with the symbol of the Frost Village. Once she was clothed, she immediately left her room in search of some peace of mind. Something familiar amidst the impending uncertainty of her future.

"Have fun." Yuri chuckled after her, choosing instead not to follow in favor of raiding the kitchen for some lunch.

* * *

The Yukidurama clan was, one upon a time, the founding clan of Shimogakure, Village Hidden in the Frost. The mighty Yukidurama settled the Hidden Village and thus strengthened the struggling Land of Snow. They established fortified borders against Kumogakure, Village Hidden in the Clouds, and made peaceful overtures towards their other neighbor, Yagakure, Village of Hot Water.

For several decades, Shimogakure flourished with the Yukidurama clan's leadership and protection. The Yukidurama established a formidable police force, one to even rival that of the Uchiha of Konahagakure, Village Hidden in the Leaves. However, much of that changed when Kisara's father Kumo, passed away. Kisara had only been three and her brother seven, when they were orphaned. Eleven years of regents and faulty leadership had almost ruined the prestigious Yukidurama clan, along with Shimogakure itself.

As the years passed, and the conclusion of the Third Great Shinobi War, something had to be done. Kira, who took his position four years previously, had immediately began doing his part to strengthen and re-build the clan, and the country. Once he was honored with the title of Yukikage over a year ago, it was clear that part of his master plan involved Lord Matsuoka.

The Lord was the head of the Matsuoka clan, a prosperous clan of traders and businessmen hailing from the Land of Lightening. Since the Frost Village had been struggling, the Cloud ninja had been slowly pushing into the borderland, taking jobs that should rightfully belong to Frost ninja, Kira had been searching for someone to help build and establish an alliance. Then, six months ago, the Lord had presented himself to Kira, not so much as a business ally, but as an ally in blood and marriage. Six months ago was when the marriage negotiations for Kisara's hand, had begun.

As Kisara's thoughts ran around her strange reality, she didn't notice that she had arrived at her destination. Startled, she took a quick look around, and finding it empty, she entered the training room. This was her favorite training room in the Big House because this was where she and Kira had always trained together before he became saddled with duty. Even though she and Kira had not trained in this room for several winters, it was always left empty in case they wanted to use it. Kisara grinned at the knowledge that no one would bother her here for at least several hours, and by then she would need to be present at the formal dinner that her brother had arranged in honor of Lord Matsuoka.

For the next three hours, Kisara lost herself in the ebb and flow of Kenjutsu. As always, she used a dull practice blade, one of many that Kira had given her for their practice. Her brother had been trained in the Yukidurama style, blending Kenjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu together. Kisara had been trained in these arts as well, at first learning them with the other young members of the Clan, before graduating from the academy, and then being specifically trained by Kira. Kira was of course the strongest Yukidurama, and now the strongest Frost-nin as he held the Yukikage title. However, Kisara liked to think that she held _some_ skill.

As she went through the basic movements, slowly warming herself up into the more complex moves and combinations of the style, her mind began to clear, and she became more relaxed. Even though Kira had not been there to train her, Kisara had often sparred with other members of the clan. She had passed the Chunin exams three years ago, and had been working toward the title of Jounin when her engagement negotiations had started.

Six months ago, she had dropped all pretense of becoming a ninja who served the Frost village. It wasn't that she was hopeless as a shinobi or anything (actually she was quite skilled), it was more that now the Clan was counting on her profession including more domestic attributes such as childrearing and running a formal household. Kisara wrinkled her face for what seemed the tenth time that day. Children. She knew that her duties as a wife included them, and that it was what the alliance was counting on.

As rumor had it that Lord Matsuoka had children through his maids, though none of them legitimate. He needed a legitimate _legal_ heir to take over his trade and shipping business. That was where Kisara came in. She would be expected to provide the Lord with plenty of legitimate children who could keep the business in the family. Once the business was in the family, the Frost Village could make successful overtures to the Land of Lightening, thereby successfully saving the entire country from financial, and political, collapse.

Kisara, breathing hard, shook herself, spraying her thoughts and sweat on the wooden floor. She paused in both her physical exertion and her mental musings. To her left hung massive tapestries boasting complex, and noble, calligraphy. Each banner listed specific motivational phrasings regarding the "spirit of the warrior" and the "duty of the shinobi". Kisara considered herself a shinobi, she had the hita-aki of the Village collecting sweat to prove it, however, it seemed that the duties of a shinobi in her case meant far more than she had ever expected. Gritting her teeth, she returned to the task at hand.

* * *

Itachi hated running. When he was running, even with the Sharingan activated, he could never truly take in all the aspects of his surroundings because of the speed by which he traveled. This particular mission was no different except for the fact that instead of running through the forest, he and Kisame were running into the wind, across the frozen tundra of Frost country.

"Fuck this is cold!" Kisame complained loudly. "Why can't we ever get assigned the warm missions, or the missions with sandy beaches?"

Itachi, though privately agreeing, declined to respond. As with most of their conversations, this one was no different in that it was mostly one-sided. Kisame, not one to be put-off, continued to complain and remark of the sparsity of the landscape for the next hour.

Finally, the two partners stopped to rest, gather water, and take a survey of their position. They had left Hidden Rain one week earlier with the mission they had been assigned. As far as Itachi suspected, Leader had his reasons for assigning the two of them to this mission besides the objectives that had been outlined.

Itachi knew the mission had two main objectives: funding and strategy. Not caring much for the first objective, his focus was mostly on the second. However, his thoughts were again interrupted by Kisame.

"Say, do you know exactly what we are doing here? You know I love water as much as the next Mist-nin, but snow, not so much."

"This mission is very simple Kisame; we are to perform our duties as guards, while gathering enough information and then returning to base".

"Yeah, yeah, we have to keep tabs on the Tailed Beasts, but what the hell is worth protecting out here?" Was Kisame's measured reply. Itachi, again declined to answer. Eventually, the two continued their journey north. By Itachi's calculations, they would reach their target in the next three days, and personally, he hoped their destination would provide both shelter from the elements, and reprieve from Kisame's continuous talking. Sighing lightly, Itachi squared his shoulders and faced the howling wind once more.

* * *

Kisara had finished her training with just enough time to bathe and dress before dinner. She soaked in the tub, a brooding look in her eye. She popped several bubbles that lay on the surface of the bathwater and closed her eyes. A shift knock at the door was all that announced Yuri's presence as she came right in without waiting for an answer.

"Well…what do you think?" She asked, her golden eyes glinting as she took a seat on a small bench against the far wall. Kisara noticed that Yuri was already dressed in a pale yellow kimono in preparation for the dinner.

Kisara shifted in the water and turned to face Yuri. "Yuri, what do you think of Lord Matsuoka?"

Yuri frowned, "I just asked you that you know." But she obliged, knowing about Kisara's habits. She disliked discussing her own feelings. "I think that though he's rather…more seasoned than you...he appears to be very kind."

Kisara wrinkled her nose. It was typical "Yuri" answer, one calculated from a lifetime surrounded by the politics of the clans. Kisara snorted in a very un-lady-like way and turned back around so her shoulders faced Yuri once more.

Yuri, smiled at this behavior, and offered another opinion. "Perhaps you would prefer a young man? Perhaps one who could at least out-run you without having a heart attack?"

Kisara grinned, she knew no one could out-run her unless they were a ninja.

Yuri continued, "Perhaps this young man would also be kind, but contain secrets that you could draw out of him?" At this point, Yuri had abandoned the bench and had creeped up to Kisara's shoulder, face almost level with the wall of the tub.

Kisara, always one to throw her dignity to the wind, took one look at Yuri's large golden eyes and her grin turned into howls of laughter. Secrets in a village the size of Shimogakure were hard to come by. Kisara knew all of the men around her age as she had grown up with them. She knew which ones dared the other to swim in the frozen river that bordered the left side of the Village, and which ones chickened out instead. She knew which were crushing on which kunoichi, and which kunoichi where crushing back or playing hard to get. Overall, their village had been peaceful since the end of the last Great Shinobi War. But business had been hard to come by as well. Peace always made it harder to make money, especially for a village to which no one wanted to travel.

After Kisara had finished washing her hair, Yuri helped her get dressed in an even more elaborate kimono than the one from the morning. For this, Kisara was eternally grateful as she was absolutely hopeless with traditional clothing. This kimono was white as the snow that always frosted the ground, even in high summer. Near the bottom of the garment and the edges of the sleeves were bright green flowers and petals caught in a breeze. These highlights were echoed in the under-robes of the kimono, and thankfully, not made of silk but of a thick cotton to keep out the chill of the evening air.

Kisara smiled, as busy as her brother could be, he did get her pretty things to wear now and then. Yuri tied the kimono with a white obi and arranged her hair. This time her hair was left down, slightly curled thanks to Yuri's handiwork. Kisara caught sight of herself in the mirror and had to admit that she looked lovely. Silver hair arranged around a heart-shaped face. Large, green eyes and a full mouth accenting her smooth, white skin. Too bad she went to all this work for a man who was old enough to be her father.

"Well Yuri, you can take a last look at Kisara Yukidurama, in a few short months I will be known as Lady Matsuoka". Kisara put one hand out to Yuri, inflecting the last part of her sentence with a regal air. Yuri, always one to play along, caught Kisara's hand and bowed deeply over it, and placing a chaste kiss on the rough and calloused hand.

"My _dear_ Lady Matsuoka, don't you look _ravishing_ in that new kimono. Though I must say, your hands, how very _modern_ of you."

"Well my _dear_ Yuri, all of those calluses have their purpose, the better to sew my children's clothes with!" Both of the women erupted once again into giggles at their own charade and cleverness.

"Oh Lady Kisara, look at the time, we simply _must_ not keep the Lord waiting!" And with that, both women finished the last touches and walked with a more positive outlook than before into the awaiting banquet.

* * *

After the third course of the meal, Kisara was feeling sleepy and slightly uncomfortable. The food had been lavish and prepared beautifully by their cook, but the obi which cinched her waist were feeling very tight. Luckily there was only one course left: dessert. Kisara felt that she could manage a few bites of chocolate cake without too much difficulty.

Before the meal began, Kira had opened the banquet with much pomp and circumstance. He had invited all of the other prominent clan heads from the village, as well as the village elders. Though Kira was the clan head, and the Yukikage, he still had to answer to the elders, and the elders could still vote to overturn any decision that Kira made.

Kira had been working for the past six months both with the elders and with Lord Matsuoka on the betrothal. As the Lord hailed from Hidden Cloud itself, the marriage would not only strengthen relations with their neighboring country, it would also provide the village with more ties for jobs and with them, much-needed revenue. As a result, Kira was in good favor with the council having succeeded in this particular venture.

Kisara knew what a triumph this was for her brother, and what it would mean as far as his security as Yukikage. Many other clan heads were resentful, even distrustful, of having one so young as her brother lead the village. However, Kira had proven himself over the last four years as the clan head, and over the last year as the Yukikage.

Once Kira had completed his speech, introducing all of the clan heads, elders, as well as several members of their own clan, including Yuri, to Lord Matsuoka, he had invited them to dine. Kisara was seated on her brother's right, while Lord Matsuoka was seated on his left in the place of honor.

Seated on Kisara's right was a member of the council, Hatori-sama. She had held polite conversation with Hatori-sama during many other meeting and dinners, and found that she had quite liked the man, and as a result, this dinner was no different. She had enjoyed the conversation and the food, and was now looking forward to turning into bed, when Lord Matsuoka stood up and raised his glass.

"Dear and revered residents of Shimegakure, I want to thank you for your hospitality." He intoned in a voice that Kisara supposed was meant to sound noble, instead it sounded odd, as though he was tightening the back of his throat and forcing his voice through his nose. "I wish to extend my special thanks to Lord Yukikage, Kira Yukidurama, and his lovely sister, and my bride-to-be, the Lady Kisara."

At the mention of both of their names and titles, Kira and Kisara inclined their heads in Lord Matsuoka's direction. Kisara relaxed back onto into her seat on the silk embroidered cushion. She tried her best to listen to the rest of the Lord's throaty speech, but she was soon distracted with a stirring in the back of the room. The dining room where the feast had taken place was a large rectangle about one hundred feet long, and fifty feet wide. Kisara, along with most of the guests, was seated on the far end of the table, her back to the large windows that faced the eastern sky. Her gaze faced forward, towards the west, and the main entrance to the dining room. The large shoji screen doors were decorated with a winter scene, featuring warrior samurai facing down a snow demon, or yuki-youki.

Normally during dinner, these works of art were closed, all the better to show-case their magnificence and impress whoever was part of the visiting party. Indeed, they had been closed for the majority of the festivities. However, as Lord Matsuoka spoke, these screens were drawn apart, and two figures entered the room. Frowning slightly, Kisara leaned forward so as to take in their appearance.

Hatori-sama nudged Kisara gently in the arm. She turned to him, so distracted by the two strangers that she had tuned almost everything else out. She looked questioningly at the elder and he gave her a pointed look to her left, and slightly inclined his head in her brother's direction, silver beard wagging.

Frowning once more for the day, she turned slowly to face her brother who was looking at her in such a way that reminded her of when she was a child. Many times in the past, Kisara had been drawn inside her own head, ignoring and missing many details that occurred in the world around her. As she had learned, it was both a gift and a nasty habit. If Kisara was faced with a problem, no matter the difficulty, she would be able to figure it out by retreating into her own private world. On the other hand, she would often tune-out key, larger details, and as her brother constantly reminded her, it was not a useful trait in a Shinobi. A Shinobi needed to be constantly aware of his surroundings, while also being able to problem-solve under pressure.

"Kisara-chan". Kira hissed in such a way that made Kisara think he had perhaps been saying her name several times before he got her attention.

"What?" she whispered back out of the corner of her mouth.

"Lord Matsuoka has asked you to stand by him." He whispered back, inclining his head several times, each time with greater urgency, towards Lord Matsuoka.

Startled, Kisara turned red, high in her cheekbones, and turned to face her betrothed. "Yes, my Lord?" She asked, as she inclined her head slightly once more.

Lord Matsuoka chuckled low in his throat, a sound that for some reason made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "My dear, I have a present for you, as my new bride, and in honor of our official engagement". He gestured towards where his gaze had been trained only moments before.

The two figures that had entered the dining room had stopped a few yards from the table, a respectful distance as guests of the household. Kisara took a look at the taller of the two men, and had to suppress a reaction. This man was at least seven feet tall and, Kisara was sure it couldn't be the light in the room, had skin that was light blue, color of thick glacial ice. The man met Kisara's gaze, and grinned. This time, Kisara couldn't resist a small step back, the man's teeth were filed to points, which resembled teeth of a creature she had only see in a drawing, a fish called a shark.

After the initial shock that the first man's appearance had caused left her, she met his gaze and inclined her head in greeting. The man grinned further and bowed, deeply, in response. Lord Matsuoka, seeing their non-verbal greeting, introduced the blue-skinned man as Hatsuharu-san. After receiving this information, she turned to the other man.

This man at least _looked_ normal. He met Kisara's gaze as dispassionately as he might a particularly boring book. Kisara noted that though this man was handsome, he also looked like he had a katana shoved up his backside. He stood, just under six feet in height, still at least five inches taller than Kisara, with his shoulders straight, feet apart, and head level. He had jet-black hair and even darker eyes. He wore his hair long, tied back in a low ponytail. This was not something that was strange to Kisara as most Yukidurama clan members, regardless of gender, wore their trademark silver hair to their shoulders, or even to their waist.

As she had to the first man, Hatsuharu, Kisara inclined her head to the second. He, very stiffly, inclined his head in return, higher she noted, than the first man had done. Lord Matsuoka introduced the second man as Yahiko-san.

Kisara realized that though both men appeared relaxed, but they exuded an air of tension, as though ready to spring into action at any moment. She narrowed her eyes briefly as her realization grew to confirm that both men were Shinobi, though they lacked any confirmation of this in their attire. She also noted a lack of noticeable affiliation to any Hidden Villages. Perhaps these men were simply mercenaries, not ninja. Even so, why would they be here, now?

After the introductions were completed, Kisara turned back to Lord Matsuoka. "My Lord, you mentioned a gift, but I am afraid I am confused to your meaning." She stated as she took a small step past her brother, in his direction.

The Lord smiled. "You are correct, I did mention a gift. The gift I present to you on the day of our engagement is the gift of protection. These men, Hatsuharu-san and Yahiko-san, will be your bodyguards from now until the day of our wedding".


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for reading! Please comment!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Surprises

Itachi followed behind the girl named Kisara, the girl that they were to protect until their data collection was over. She was the girl who would be their 'cover' until they deemed the mission complete. Kisame walked beside him, his longer legs often making it difficult for others to match a stride, Itachi being no different, though he managed well-enough not to cause others to stare. As he always did, whether he was indoors or outdoors, Itachi constantly measured and observed his surroundings, his thoughts going back to the events that had placed him in this situation.

When he and Kisame had finally arrived at the Village Hidden in the Frost, he was surprised, which in itself was something of an enigma. For years, Itachi had felt numerous emotions, but rarely surprise. For someone who was so well trained in the Shinobi arts, he knew that surprises usually ended up with someone dead.

What had surprised him about Shimogakure was how similar it was to his home Village of Konahagakure. Like the Leaf Village, the Frost Village was enclosed by a high wall. Like the Leaf Village, the Frost Village also had tributes to their Yukikage's, though theirs had been unique in that there's were large statues in the center of the village carved out of ice.

Upon closer inspection, it had been clear that the statues were made from some type of jutsu as they showed no signs of ever melting. However, that did not take away from the intricate beauty and care that had so obviously gone into each creation. His lips raised in what might have looked like a smile. He had known that if Deidara were present, he would be fascinated by the art work while Sasori would have scorned and scoffed at the "attempt". Pulling his mind back from his fellow Akatsuki members, he had turned his attention to the rest of the village.

"For a village named 'Hidden in the Frost', you would think there would be more frost". Kisame had remarked dully.

Itachi's lips had raised a fraction of an inch higher. "Hatsuharu-san" he had intoned, using the code names they had agreed upon before being hired for the mission, "Are you so oblivious that you think a village so far north would not know how to deal with a little ice and snow?"

Kisame's lips, while not so different than Itachi's in function than in appearance, had opened into a wide grin. "Of course not Yahiko-san, I was merely commenting that perhaps their name indicated false advertising".

Itachi had hummed lowly under his breath in response to Kisame's comment. He had continued his perusal of the village. The houses were well-kempt, the villagers seemed happy, but he noticed an air of overall shabbiness and disrepair. It had appeared that though the village was well-cared for and much appreciated, it seemed to be struggling. Upon closer inspection, he had noticed chipped paint in many places as well as worn streets. As they continued their journey to the Yukidurama house, a small child had run in front of their path while in pursuit of a rubber ball.

Both of the travelers had halted their progress to let the child pass. As he had bent to retrieve the ball, and Itachi had observed that his clothes, while clean, had been mended several times, were a bit on the small side for a child of this age, and very seriously worn from days of use.

The child had straitened to stand, turned and noticed the strangers for the first time. Itachi had taken-in the boy's outlandish features. He had noted silver hair that hung about the boy's ears, and jewel bright eyes. The boy looked apprehensively at the strangers, and then had seen Kisame's pointed teeth and immediately dashed to join his friends.

"Interesting features on that little pup". Kisame had remarked.

Itachi had silently agreed. Kisame had an uncanny habit of stating just what was on Itachi's mind. However, it wouldn't due to reveal that fact to his long-time partner.

Itachi had hummed once more in reply, and changed the subject. "That may be so, however, we are on a schedule". Without further comment or incident, they had continued to their destination.

In contrast to the rest of the village, it had been obvious that the 'Big House' as the villagers called it, was in better repair and upkeep than the rest of the town. The house was a single-floor traditionally styled house. The walls were wood and while the windows were made of glass, the doors were all covered with rice paper in the shoji style. The wood had been freshly polished, the paintings that adorned the entry way and walls had been cleaned. It had been clear that this portion of the village was Frost's source of pride and joy. Itachi had reasoned that this show of status was not due to any malice on the part of the owners, merely a show of the Village's love for their Yukikage.

Upon first entering the dwelling and meeting their main inhabitants, Itachi had again experienced surprised. The Yukikage, Kira Yukidurama, was very young. In fact, he had looked to be around Itachi's own age. To be the leader of one of the Hidden Villages, Itachi had reasoned that he was extremely strong, cunningly smart, or worse: both. Either way, he was someone that Itachi had thought he would have to continue to keep an eye on while he and Kisame fulfilled their mission.

As both he and Kisame had been introduced to the Yukikage, the Lord Matsuoka their employer, and the Lady Kisara, Itachi was again caught-off guard for the third surprise. He had known as well as Kisame the parameters of the mission. The Akatsuki was still growing, still gaining a foothold in Hidden Rain. In order to keep doing so, they needed one thing: money.

Itachi himself had never cared about money and in some ways he was disgusted by the almost constant fervor that Kukazu held for it. In any case, he was certainly intelligent enough to know that their organization, and his personal goals, would not survive and come to fruition without it. Hence their current assignment.

Leader had gotten word several months ago that a certain merchant Lord was looking for high-ranking Shinobi to act as bodyguards for an unspecified amount of time. Leader was not informed who Kisame and Itachi would be guarding, just as Leader had not informed the employer the true identity of the ones doing the body-guarding. In this way, the transaction inconvenienced those involved as little as possible.

However, he and Kisame had been introduced to Lord Matsuoka, the one who was their employer, and informed in front of not only the elders of the village, but the Yukikage himself, that their charge would be a silver-haired young women. This had been perhaps the most Itachi had reacted to a situation for about five years.

"My Lord, you mentioned a gift, but I am afraid I am confused to your meaning." The silver-haired women had stated, her striking green eyes sweeping over himself and Kisame in confusion.

The Lord had smiled, which had Itachi to feel instant distaste for the man. "You are correct, I did mention a gift. The gift I present to you on the day of our engagement is the gift of protection. These men, Hatsuharu-san and Yahiko-san, will be your bodyguards from now until the day of our wedding".

Itachi had started, blinked rapidly, and turned slowly towards Kisame. Kisame being Kisame, had laughed out loud at the news. At the sound of the laugh, the two silver-haired hosts and their balding employer had turned to look at Itachi and Kisame.

"Hatsuharu-san, is something amusing?" The Yukikage had asked, blue eyes had then trained themselves on the two men.

"Yes Lord Kage, you see, it's been some time since myself and my partner have been hired to do something so fun" Kisame had grinned in response.

Itachi, never one to allow disrespect, had swiftly kicked Kisame in the leg before turning to the Yukikage, ignoring the grunt of surprise from Kisame, "You must excuse my partner Lord Kage, who, as you can see, has no manners or culture. We will be most honored for this opportunity and we will carry it out without incident".

Satisfied with this answer, the Yukikage had asked both bodyguards to take a seat to the side until after the banquet was over, in the meantime Itachi and Kisame were served several courses of the meal. Kisame had ingested his in record time while Itachi had eaten his fill slowly and left the rest.

Itachi had taken a few minutes to study the situation. Their employer had appeared to be as he said he was, a prosperous business man. The Yukikage had appeared to be who he presented himself as, the powerful and kind leader of the Frost Village. The girl had appeared to be…different. At first hearing of her need for 'protection', it was clear to Itachi that she had been insulted. Insulted how, now that was a mystery. Perhaps she had felt she did not need protection, or perhaps she was put-off that her protection was to be two men, one of whom looked very like a shark. Whatever the reason, she had adopted a mask to rival Itachi's own blank expression. She sipped her water and was every inch the poised and proper Lady they were to guard.

Itachi had been able to take all of these observations in within a few seconds, despite being unable to wield the Sharingan as per Leader's orders. As he continued to study the girl, she had glanced his way, as if able to sense his gaze. As their eyes had locked, deep green meeting coal black, Itachi had experienced a not-unpleasant sensation in his stomach.

At that moment, the old man seated beside Kisara had then stated something that drew her eyes away from Itachi's and back to the conversation she was having. Searching within himself, he had been unable to place his feelings or the reason for his bodily reaction. Unbeknownst to Itachi, her eyes had swept over him several more times during dinner, though Itachi did not again seek to find hers.

Once the banquet was concluded, the Yukikage had dismissed all of the guests while being sure to include all of the formalities and pleasantries of his station. He had then invited the Lord, his sister, and Itachi and Kisame to exit the banquet hall and follow him down the hallway.

The Yukikage had led the way with Lord Matsuoka beside him, and the Lady Kisara behind. Itachi had followed the trio several paces behind with Kisame beside him. As usual, Itachi had had trouble matching his stride to Kisame's due to their difference in height, though they managed without incident because of the slow pace down the hallway.

As Itachi's musings were caught up with the present, he could only study the back of their charge, and he took every opportunity to do so. He noted again the outlandish hair that seemed to run rampant in the village. Currently, it was worn long, slightly curled in a way he found oddly pleasing, though the thought made him uncomfortable. He noted with an almost imperceptible frown that if he needed to hide her, that hair would stick out like a sore thumb.

He noted the grace with which she walked. The frown grew slightly more prominent. No civilian would be able to walk like that, perhaps she wasn't completely defenseless after all, which was a clue regarding her previous insult at their presence. And if she wasn't helpless, how much would she be able to defend herself if it came to it? This was something he would need to find out.

* * *

Next to Itachi, Kisame's gaze wasn't honed in on their charge, but instead, trained on his partner. Kisame and Itachi had been partners for many years, ever since he had first joined the organization. By now, he was as much of an expert as one could be on the subject of Uchiha expression and body language. If Kisame had to guess, Itachi had been through a whirlwind of emotions today, something quite novel for him. As this particular moment, Kisame thought that Itachi had the look of someone fiercely working through a complex, and annoying problem in their head. Kisame chuckled lightly at the thought.

At Kisame's laugh, Itachi's head swiveled around and he raised his eyebrows briefly in a way that clearly asked, _what_? Kisame simply shook his head, and continued to follow their new charge down the hallway. It looked to both of them that this mission wouldn't be as dull as they first thought.

* * *

Kisara followed diligently behind her brother and her new fiancé, totally oblivious to the thoughts and actions of those following behind her. _Bodyguards!?_ She thought bewildered. _Why do I need bodyguards just to get married? Why do I need bodyguards at all?_ Sure, she was by no means the strongest person in the village, obviously her brother took that title, but still, she wasn't helpless. She had been trained in the Shinobi arts as a young child, and in kenjutsu as every Yukidurama was. She was as good as any Jounin in the Village even though she hadn't yet qualified. Even now, she still managed to train and practiced new techniques daily.

As they continued down the hall to a large and elegant tea room. Kisara's attention began to turn to the two men behind her. Even with her trained shinobi senses, she couldn't hear their footsteps. At one point she glanced slightly over one shoulder just to reassure herself that they were indeed still following her _. They must be strong,_ she thought. They must be trained and experienced to have been hired by Lord Matsuoka, because even if Kisara didn't know the Lord well, she knew that what he valued above all else was quality.

Finally they reached the tea room. Kira gestured lightly to the three men and Kisara to sit around a low table which was surrounded by square pillows, each with a unique pattern of snowflakes. Kira and Kisara sat at one end of the table while Lord Matsuoka sat on the other side. Hatsuharu and Yahiko sat on either end.

After a few seconds, Kira cleared his throat and addressed the Lord. "My Lord Matsuoka, I wanted to take a moment to ahh…formally thank you for your thoughtful gift to my sister. I am sure the two gentlemen will take excellent care of her for the next few months before the wedding. I was wondering, however, if I might ask you a simple question."

Lord Matsuoka smiled pleasantly at Kira during the latter's statement, Kisara could see the presence of laugh lines around his eyes and lips.

"Of course Lord Yukikage, you may ask me anything". He replied with the same pleasant smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you. Of course I understand that there are always dangers, but as we have been at peace for several years, I wonder at your decision to employ these…particular helpers, for surely you are confident in the strength of the Frost Village to keep their beloved sister of the Yukikage safe from harm?" Kira replied, a similarly pleasant smile etched on his handsome features.

Kisara raised her eyebrows at her brother's last statement. So, she wasn't incorrect in thinking the need for bodyguards, two in fact, a bit strange.

At this point in the conversation, Yuri arrived to serve refreshments to Hatsuharu and Yahiko. Lord Matsuoka paused in his response as both of the younger men quietly accepted their tea and Yuri bowed herself out of the room. On her way out, Yuri shot Kisara a pointed look, one that clearly said, _I expect an explanation later._ Kisara caught the look and nodded ever so slightly in response. _You bet._

Lord Matsuoka cleared his throat before answering Kira's thoughtfully worded statement. "My Lord Yukikage, I of course meant no disrespect and no insult to the famous talents of the Village Hidden in the Frost. If Lady Kisara were indeed to stay in Shimogakure, then the skills of these gentlemen would not be needed. However, as Kisara is now officially my fiancée, she will be returning with me in one week to begin training in the duties she will need to master as my future wife, the Lady Matsuoka".

At this point, Kisara, who was taking a large sip of tea, made a rather un-lady-like choking noise, and began coughing healthily. Kira, who had of course remained professional during the entire exchange, wasted no time in patting Kisara on the back, all the while his eyes never leaving Lord Matuoka's face.

"Oh, I was not aware that you needed Kisa-chan quite so soon, my Lord. I was under the impression that she would be staying in the Village until the date of your marriage." Stated Kira, cool and calm as usual.

Kisara, who by this time had managed to swallow the tea, said very quickly, "My Lord, I was also under the same impression. A week's notice is much too short, I haven't even begun to pack my things, or share my goodbyes with the rest of the villagers." After the words came out of Kisara's mouth, she winced inwardly.

The words have been spoken too hurriedly, and the last phrase rang with a note of panic, a note that Kisara had not wanted to reveal to anyone. She _had_ to be ready for this, for her family, for the clan, for the village. She _had_ to look calm and cool, just like Kira, for this to work. Any sign of weakness or hesitation, could result in a disillusion of the contract.

The Lord turned his too-sweet smile towards Kisara, "I understand, change can sometimes be very…difficult, even if it is stepping towards a most anticipated future. However, there have been some….circumstantial changes in my business life, and well I again have no doubt of the fierce strength of the Frost Village, I simply must _insist_ that the Lady Kisara depart with me when I return to my home at the end of the week."

Kisara allowed these words to sink in, before taking on their full meaning. For some reason, despite his words, Lord Matsuoka did not trust Kisara to be on her own until their marriage. Perhaps he thought she would run away, or perhaps he thought she had a lover here in the Shimogakure. Whatever the reason, the Lord had made it very difficult to argue with him. And somehow, Kisara knew that he was not accustomed to being told no. As Kisara was now officially his fiancé, he retained certain rights and requests, as was the custom of the Land of Snow. If Lord Matsuoka wished it, Kisara had to honor it, so long as it wouldn't interfere with her safety or that of others.

Kira, obviously coming to the same conclusion, fixed Lord Matsuoka with a similarly sweet smile. "If my Lord wishes it, it will be done. We will simply move-up the farewell party, and I will inform the servants at once to make ready all of Lady Kisara's things for travel within the week."

Lord Matsuoka smiled briefly at Kira, before turning to address Kisara, as well as her two new bodyguards. "Excellent. Then let us go over a few expectations for the following week, as well as the journey to my home and beyond." He turned himself slightly to address Hatsuharu. "Hatsuharu-san, you will be in charge of the Lady Kisara's night-shift watch, meaning you will be expected to guard her from eight in the evening to eight in the morning". Shifting one-hundred and eighty degrees, he faced Yahiko. "Yahiko-san you will be guarding Lady Kisara from eight in the morning to eight in the evening".

Kisara watched the two men as their shifts were defined. Yahiko took the information with a slight nod of his head, his face completely impassive. Hatsuharu on the other hand, broke out into a large grim. Kisara drew back slightly as she got a closer, and even more unnerving, glimpse of his sharpened teeth.

"Just fine with me, I am more of a night owl anyway." Hatsuharu said, his voice surprisingly smooth and appealing, despite his terrifying image.

Lord Matsuoka nodded once at both men, before turning his full attention to Kisara. "My Lady, these gentlemen are here for your protection, as I have stated. As I have also stated, each will take a twelve-hour shift each day to guard you. In order to make their job easier, I have a few, simple requests for you".

Kisara met the Lord's eyes, and noticed that they were on the smaller side, and a remarkable shade of brown. As she looked closer, she saw herself reflected in them and had to repress a shudder. Brown was a color that she was distinctly unfamiliar with in eyes. Everyone in the Shimogakure sported either blue eyes like Kira's, green like her own, or even the rare purple or even rarer golden color like Yuri's. No one had ever had brown eyes that she knew of, and for some inexplicable reason, Kisara found this revolting. She felt an involuntary shiver run up her spine, before slowly lowering her head in assent to his requests.

"Good, then please keep the following in mind. First, you are not to go anywhere without Hatsuharu-san or Yahiko-san. I realize that this may be a bit difficult since you are a women, but they will wait outside of any room you are in should you wish privacy. Second, you will obey what Yahiko-san and Hatsuharu-san say _without question._ Thirdly, you are not permitted to get close to anyone once we leave the village, including conversations; this is for your own protection. Is any of this confusing or unclear?"

Kisara raised an eyebrow at the last question. She had heard Lord Matsuoka speak in only even and measured tones in the past day. However, she received the distinct impression that he was speaking to her like a young child, not the adult she supposedly was. The more time she was spending with this man, the more she disliked him.

She disliked this entire arrangement, his assumption that she couldn't even protect herself, or that she couldn't be trusted to go anywhere without someone else accompanying her. Now, she supposedly couldn't even talk to anyone else!

As Kisara listened to more and more of what he said, her fists clenched harder and harder in the folds of her delicate silk kimono. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yahiko studying her, something like curiosity reflected in his dark eyes, and somehow, she suddenly hated it. It, the wedding, betrothal, the bodyguards, and especially, Lord Matsuoka. She was _not_ some creature to be studied or ordered about, she was a _Shinobi_ dammit _._

She clenched her teeth, and it was all she could do to lower her face and neck into a bow of both assent, and agreement of the Lord's requests. She breathed slowly out of her nose in an attempt to get herself under control. _Remember_ , she thought to herself, _remember a Shinobi is not ruled by emotions, I will not let this overtake me._ In the few seconds it took to regain her composure, Lord Matsuoka had accepted her bow as answer enough, and turned back to address Kira with even more pleasantries. Kisara noted that the two Lords were through speaking about her and the wedding, and had moved on to other pertinent topics. This infuriated Kisara all the more.

Kisara waited a few more minutes so as not to seem discourteous, before excusing herself. Kira turned to her and wished her a good night. Kisara, who knew Kira better than anyone, saw the masked worry in her brother's eyes, along with the guilt. Kisara knew her brother felt overwhelming blame and responsibility with going through with the arrangement.

He felt that if he had been a better leader, or taken over the Village sooner, this wouldn't have happened. Indeed, when Lord Matsuoka had first come to Kira with his proposal, Kira had done everything he could to reject it and find something else, anything else. As several months past, it became very clear that this was the only way out of poverty, in so straightforward and speedy a way for the Clan and Village. However, Kisara was proud that she could do this much for her brother, and her people. She smiled softly, her eyes saying, _I'm fine, don't worry about me,_ despite the anger and insult she felt.

She turned to her future-husband, and favored him with a deep bow. He returned the honor with a low bow of his head. She turned to go before his words stopped her.

"Lady Kisara please remember that Hatsuharu-san's duties begin tonight, please accommodate them as much as you can." His tone this time was still even, but held a hint of warning with his words.

Kisara knew better than to challenge him on this. She turned back to him, nodded again in acquiescence looked pointedly at Hatsuharu and Yahiko, before continuing out of the door into the long hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for reading!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Getting to Know You

Kisame rested his back against the smooth wall outside of Lady Kisara's rooms. He took a moment before yawning and stretching his large, heavily muscled arms above his head. He was sitting amiably outside of the girl's chambers, as directed by the girl herself, his new charge. Here he would sit, barring any disturbances until Itachi relieved him of his shift in the morning. As Kisame did at the end of each day, he spent several moments going over the events, his thoughts, and the things he had learned about their current mission.

He and Itachi had stopped around noon, several hours still outside of the village, to stow their Akatsuki cloaks and other "dead-giveaways" to their identity such as his sword, Samehada. Each man had stowed their items in a summoning scroll of Itachi's design.

He smiled wistfully; he was already missing the familiar weight of the sword across his back. He was actually pretty annoyed at Leader for insisting that there be no clues to either his or Itachi's identities. He snorted at the thought. There was nothing he could do outside of concocting come type of jutsu to make _himself_ unrecognizable. He just counted himself lucky that this mission was so far away from Water Country.

After stowing their belongings and head-bands, and donning simple black cloaks instead of ones adorned with red clouds, the two partners had continued to the village. They had arrived by mid-afternoon, and Kisame had not failed to notice Itachi's almost infinitesimal response. Kisame grinned at the memory.

As fond as he ever could be of another person and was of Itachi, Kisame still enjoyed watching the Uchiha prodigy falter, and in this case, become unnerved at times. It kept things from being too boring.

Kisame wasn't sure himself what had done it. Perhaps it was the smiling villagers, and air of peace. Both things were so hard to come by in his own home Village of the Bloody Mist, that Kisame had noticed the difference immediately. Kisame had seen Itachi experience something similar last month when they had entered the Leaf Village in search of the nine-tails.

Kisame paused in his musings. Maybe that was it. Itachi was uncomfortable here because it reminded him of Konaha. His lips moved almost involuntarily, like a shark who had smelled the blood of his wounded prey. However, that was not the only thing that Kisame had noticed about Itachi today. His thoughts continued to their introduction at dinner. Kisame had noticed Itachi had become unnerved again once they had laid eyes on their "charge".

The Lady Kisara, sister to the Yukikage was beautiful, even Kisame could admit that, though his tastes in women differed slightly from the usual man. For a moment he allowed his mind to wander wistfully to one of the hellcats of the Mist Village to which he had been acquainted. _Now there was a woman_ , he thought lustily.

After a few moments of daydreaming, he allowed himself to come back to reality. Yes, Kisara was quite attractive. She had the long silver hair that seemed to be prominent in this village, but that wasn't the most noticeable feature. What was noticeable before anything else were her eyes, bright green and fierce. Kisame had not said more than hello to this Lady Kisara, but he knew he was going to like her. She reminded him of Konan, somehow there was a fire burning deep within and Kisame knew that she had something to fight for in her life.

Though Kisame knew that he would like their assignment, and the person they would be assigned to, he was perplexed by the fact that Itachi seemed to be unsure of her. That, more than anything, was the puzzle that Kisame longed to piece together. Itachi was never unsure of _anything,_ yet he was with this assignment. How could he be sure? Well, Kisame had to only look for the slight changes in the Uchiha's usual attitude and behavior.

The first clue was the fact that once he was introduced to her, Itachi refused to look at Kisara for the rest of the dinner. Because Itachi had been forced to disengage his Sharingan (another stipulation of Leader's plan), Kisame would have expected that Itachi be studiously taking in every detail of their surroundings, including the girl. Kisame knew that Itachi was uncomfortable without his eye jutsu activated, the same way that he, Kisame, was uncomfortable without his monster sword. That being said, Itachi took one look at the girl, and didn't glance her way again until later when they were walking to the tea room.

The thought of the tea room brought up the second clue. During the little meeting they had to set up the guidelines of the agreement, Itachi had done nothing but look at the girl. Kisame chuckled lightly to himself once again at the memory.

It was clear during that meeting that Lady Kisara was _pissed,_ something that Kisame took both great pleasure in watching, and found that he highly approved of her response. He, himself, would have gotten irritated with so many orders and expectations, despite his typical easy-going demeanor. He may have even beheaded that tubby Lord Matsuoka. Either way, the Uchiha was acting out of sorts, changing from his usual pattern of behaviors, and Kisame was intrigued. He grinned one final time before relaxing against the wall for the night's duties.

* * *

Kisara sat for a long time before she finally got undressed. Yuri had gone to bed hours ago after Kisara had done her best to explain the situation. Yuri had offered to help Kisara get undressed; knowing that of course Kisara was hopeless with fancy clothes. But Kisara had declined, wanting to feel like she could at least do _something_ for herself.

However, now that she was undressed and ready for bed, sleep evaded her. She was acutely aware of her bodyguard sitting just outside of her door, and he made her uneasy. It wasn't just his appearance though that was certainly enough, it was the fact that she _liked_ him immediately. Leaning back on her bed, she ran the scene through in her mind for what must have been the hundredth time.

She had allowed a servant to close the shoji screen door after she had left the small sitting room to her brother and the Lord. She had looked out of the corner of her eye at her guardsmen, and had awkwardly begun the trek back to her own rooms. During the trip, the awkward feeling had continued to grow in the silence until she had blurted out, "So, you both are not from Snow County?" Then inwardly cringed at her shaking voice.

"Hell no! And let me be the first to tell you, snow and frost? Not my cup of tea." Hatsuharu's had been the first and only person to answer her question, and he had done so with a toothy grin which Kisara had suspected was his trademark facial expression.

The two of them had continued this light conversation all the way to Kisara's rooms. She had given them a quick tour of her quarters. This had included her bathroom to the right, the attached bedroom in the center which was her own, as well as the small sitting room to the left.

Hatsuharu had continued to chat with her while Yahiko had intently examined the walls, windows, and doors of all three rooms. Hatsuharu had broken off one of his replies to inform her that Yahiko had been noting all escape routes as well as possible ways an assassin could come into the rooms. He had stated this information with another grin, one that Kisara had supposed was to put her at ease, though it only increased the comedic nature of the situation.

Finally, it appeared that Yahiko had concluded his assessment of the situation, because he turned to Kisara and spoke to her for the first time, without meeting her eyes. In fact, Kisara had the impression that he was addressing the wall behind her.

"It seems secure for the moment. Hatsuharu-san will complete the first shift as per Matsuoka-sama's request. I will come to relieve him in the morning". He had bowed stiffly to Kisara, nodded to Hatsuharu, and had promptly left the area, all without looking at her once.

"Yahiko-san is a man of few, few words. Nothing he ever does is wasted." Hatsuharu had stated cheerfully. He had turned to Kisara and said, "Well, I will assume my post for the night, and just remember to scream if you are being attacked."

This last statement had been stated so seriously by Hatsuharu, that Kisara had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting with laughter. Hatsuharu had grinned at her reaction, and for the first time since her earlier teasing session with Yuri, she had found herself grinning in return. He had bowed to her, though much less formally than Yahiko, and had left the room and assumed his post, to the right of her bedroom door.

Even now, she could hear muffled chuckling coming from the hallway, and Kisara suspected that Hatsuharu liked to make himself laugh as much as others around him. She turned over on the bed and pressed her face into the pillow. Well, if she did have to be guarded by two men, she could at least like one of them. She smiled slightly into the soft fabric at this silver lining of the overall cloudy day, before finally relaxing enough to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Itachi traveled slowly down the hallway, his tread as good as silent against the polished wooden boards. Despite the beautiful morning light filtering in through the windows and the overall peaceful atmosphere, he felt restless. Introspective by nature, he had spent several hours the night before analyzing his feelings and responses. If Kisame were not completing his half of the mission, Itachi was sure he would have made a comment regarding Itachi's "brooding". Either way, the hours of introspection had served their purpose. Itachi knew why he felt the way he did.

From the polished wooden boards, to the peaceful atmosphere, the entire place reminded him of Konaha, of the life he had destroyed in a single night. Even this house reminded him of the Uchiha compound. The architecture was of the traditional style, something the Uchiha's favored, and even the floor plan of the Big House was similar to the Uchiha's main meeting house. The other, smaller houses were arranged around the Big House in a way that was both aesthetically pleasing, as well as protective. All of these features screamed Uchiha. Even as he had walked through the village the day before, seeing one building in particular had been enough to set his nerves on fire: the police station.

During his academy days in Konaha, every Uchiha child had to take an additional class regarding Clan history and skill. Their skills had always been the ninja arts, however, they also traded in protection, hence the Uchiha police force in Konaha. During one lesson, Itachi remembered that the Uchiha police force, though the first, was by no means the only force in existence. The Hidden Villages of Sand and Snow also boasted forces of their own. Now that he was in the Frost Village, he was able to see the force first-hand.

The building they had passed was similar in design to the one what was now abandoned in Konaha, with one very obvious difference. Instead of the iconic Uchiha fan on the front, the Yukidurama snowflake and sword adorned the building. Itachi had recognized the crest immediately, as the Yukidurama were masters of Kenjutsu. Kenjutsu was something that Itachi had once-upon-a-time favored as a captain in ANBU, and it was something that he had learned from Shisui. As they always did at the thought of his long-dead best friend, Itachi's eyes closed in momentary discomfort.

Shisui had been one of the strongest of the Uchiha clan, and something of an older brother and mentor to Itachi. Shisui was also almost always better, which Itachi never minded. Because Shisui favored blade work, he was familiar with most of the sword-wielding clans of the Hidden Villages. The Yukidurama were famed for their masterful integration of their sword-style, or Kenjutsu, along with Taijutsu and Ninjustsu, creating an almost unbeatable combination. Shisui enjoyed spending long afternoons when Itachi was still at the academy comparing the different strengths and weaknesses of the swordsmanship clans.

After taking a few moments to collect all of these details in his mind, Itachi was able to relax and give himself a small piece of respite. It was not, he reasoned, anything about this place itself, simply the memories it triggered from his past. It was the atmosphere which dredged up old occurrences which caused Itachi to chew at the thoughts like an old dog worrying a bone. No, there was nothing _particularly unnerving_ about this mission that should concern him, he stated to himself. He would fulfill his duties and promises to Leader just like any other mission; regardless of his own….personal discomfort.

Satisfied with his own conclusion, he quickened his pace imperceptibly in order to be on time and relieve Kisame of his duty. He arrived at the charge's door exactly at the strike of eight to find Kisame leaning comfortably against the wall, the light of the early morning sun illuminating his blue-tinted skin, eyes closed against the brightness.

At the sound—no there was no possibility that Kisame had _heard_ him—presence of his approach, Kisame cracked one eye, and favored Itachi with a lop-sided grin. "Hey there", he said with his voice slightly husky from a sleepless night, "How did you sleep?"

"Acceptably" came Itachi's characteristic response.

"I take it then that you may get tired around three like usual?" Kisame inquired innocently.

Itachi turned the corners of his mouth down in what only Kisame, who had known him so long, would call a frown, his eyes flickering red in response.

"Careful there, remember, appearances" Kisame chastised lightly with one wagging blue finger, knowing Itachi would never reveal the Sharingan at the expense of the mission.

Itachi chose not to answer verbally, only hummed in response, and moved closer to assume his post for the next twelve hours.

"Suit yourself, Yahiko-san, just make sure to stay awake". At this last comment, Kisame rose to his full seven feet in height, and stretched. Itachi noted that he was not able to expend his arms to their full length as he would hit his hands on the ceiling. Instead, Kisame had to settle with stretching them out horizontally. After working out the kinks from sitting on a wooden surface for several hours, Kisame began the walk that Itachi had just completed back to their rooms, dodging eye-daggers from Itachi with every step.

Once he was around the corner and out of sight, Itachi allowed himself a true show of emotion in order to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, and in effort to wake himself. He knew Kisame was correct, even if he hated to admit it. Itachi always became tired around the mid-afternoon after a sleepless night. Like everything about Itachi, even his body reacted to routine.

For perhaps only the first time today, Itachi cursed Kisame's observations of his behaviors, and their annoying accuracy. As reclusive and hard-to-read as Itachi wanted himself to be, and usually fooled others into thinking he was, Kisame could always see through it.

At this point, one would think Itachi would be used to it, but it was times like these where Kisame could tell with a quick glance how exhausted Itachi was, and that _really_ pissed him off. As Itachi slowly regained his composure, he was just in time as Lady Kisara chose that particular moment to exit her rooms and come face-to-face with him.

* * *

Kisara took a deep breath and slowly opened the sliding door to the hallway, only to see Yahiko, as expressionless as the day before, waiting for her. She blinked in surprise before saying, "Good morning Yahiko-san, I apologize but I was expecting to see Hatsuharu-san before he headed off to sleep".

"No apology necessary Kisara-sama, Hatsuharu-san and I changed shifts a few moments ago." Again he said all this without meeting her eyes.

Kisara waited a few seconds for him to say more, and before it could get too uncomfortable, she stated, "Oh I see, you both take the shift schedule very seriously. I will do my best to rise and exit my room before Hatsuharu-san retires tomorrow so that I may properly thank him for his service. Anyway, I was just on my way to get a light breakfast, I suppose you will be joining me?"

Kisara saw that Yahiko inclined his head slightly in agreement to her question, and after hesitating a bit more, she walked past Yahiko and headed down the hallway. Unbeknownst to Kisara, she headed in the opposite direction that Yahiko had traveled to get to her room. Kisara continued down the hall to the kitchen, and into hell. As a result of the abrupt announcement of her impending departure from the village, the kitchen was in chaos.

Kisara and Yahiko entered the wide kitchen as several cooks and assistant chefs literally _ran_ past them in their haste to prep dishes for the upcoming week. Kisara raised one elegant eyebrow as a kitchen-hand frantically chopped carrots and celery, almost taking off her fingers in the process. As the unlikely pair gazed around the kitchen in some vain attempt to spot something unguarded and edible, Kisara felt Yahiko's fingers wrap unexpectedly around her wrist. Startled, Kisara attempted to turn her body to the left in order to question this physical contact, when Yahiko yanked her toward, and behind him. In the next second, Kisara felt the air move in the place she had just been standing, as yet another kitchen-hand barreled past, his face completely obscured by a precarious stack of dirty dishes headed for the sinks on the opposite wall.

For several seconds as the danger passed, Kisara was pressed up against Yahiko in such a way that made her cheeks flush a delicate red. However, as soon as Kisara was safely out of the way, Yahiko's hand released her as abruptly as he had grasped her, and she stumbled back a step to provide a greater distance between their bodies. In the short time that they touched, Kisara noticed that his skin was surprisingly warm, hot even. She glanced up at Yahiko's face, now much closer to hers than before, and realized for the first time that day he was actually looking at her. She noted that his eyes were another unfamiliar color, black as the night sky. She also noted that though the brown of Lord Matsuoka's eyes unnerved her, Yahiko's black eyes did quite the opposite.

"Thanks" She said awkwardly, "That could have definitely been messy".

"Even if it is my duty to protect you, Kisara-sama, I ask that you continue to be vigilant in your surroundings. Your unobserving nature will only make my job harder". Yahiko stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice before entering further into the kitchen.

Kisara, stood blinking after him like an owl. Never in her life had she been addressed by someone so politely, but insulted so thoroughly. _Unobserving?_ She was a _ninja!_ How _dare_ he, he was a _servant_! And it was that particular moment when Kisara decided that she _much_ preferred Hatsuharu to Yahiko, despite how his eyes, and skin, made her feel. She gathered up her straying emotions before following his path, after making sure it was clear of anymore rushing kitchenhands, to find Yahiko conversing in mild, measured tones, with the head chef, Kazuma.

Chef Kazuma was an older clansmen of about sixty, his long silver hair and bright purple eyes gave everyone the impression he was either too old, or too young, to have seen the things he so often told in his stories.

Kazuma had been feeding the Yukidurama main house ever since Kisara's father was a young boy, and as such, he _knew_ things. Things that would make the ends of Kisara's long, straight hair curl with just hearing it. And Kazuma delighted in attempting to curl Kisara's hair at every opportunity. He would often punish her for her young hands wandering too many times into the sweet jar with ballad after ballad of gruesome war stories, or the 'Glory Days of the Yukidurama' as he would fondly call them. Even though the stories grossed Kisara out, she still was very fond of the old man.

There was one particular story where Kazuma himself was the main star. The story was set during the last Great Ninja War, when the tide had turned against the Yukidurama. As such, many men were grievously wounded, sometimes so badly that the medic-nin needed to amputate in order to save a life. However, as there were so many injuries and so few medic-nin available, it had fallen on Kazuma who came from the camp kitchen armed with his cleaver…and Kisara refused to listen to the rest of the story.

Based on that, and many similar tales, Kisara preferred to interrupt Kazuma as much as possible, not because she wanted to be rude, instead it was mostly that she preferred not to be too put off her food before even getting to eat it. And even if Kazuma's stories were disgusting, his food most certainly was not. In fact, the cook had actually taught Kisara herself to cook when he wasn't so busy. Today however, it appeared that Kazuma would be working all hours for the change of plans regarding her departure.

As Kisara neared Yahiko and Kazuma, she was just in time to hear their exchange.

"Ahh so you are Yahiko-san, one of Lady Kisara's bodyguard. I must say, your partner, Hatsuharu-san has one _hell_ of an appetite." Kazuma grinned at Yahiko.

"Yes, this is quite normal for him. I hope he did not put you too out of sorts?" Yahiko inquired in a much more pleasant tone than he had ever used with Kisara, much to her intense irritation.

"Oh no, of course not, as cooks we live to feed others! Now I know that we are on a tight schedule, but I am guessing that you and the Lady are in need of something similar?" Kazuma replied, catching Kisara's eye and shooting her a warm smile.

"Yes, anything that you have on hand is fine, no need to trouble yourself." Yahiko stated.

To Kisara's surprise they were both gifted with a bowl of rice, broiled fish, and a bowl of light soup, and shoved out of the kitchen. _They truly must be busy,_ she thought to herself.

Yahiko took both of their portions, bowed slightly to Kazuma, and inclined his head to Kisara, before heading out the adjacent door to the outer hallway. Kisara, now exposed to Kazuma's attention, bowed hastily to him in thanks before jogging after Yahiko.

Unbeknownst to Kisara, Kazuma grinned merrily at her quickly retreating back, before remembering himself and turned abruptly back to the soup he was creating. Even for all of his mirth at disgusting the girl—no Lady—he corrected himself, he really was going to miss her.

Once they were both safely in the hallway, Kisara caught up with Yahiko with a few long strides. She noted that for someone only about half a foot taller than herself, he walked much faster and lighter than she.

"Hey, you don't have to carry my food for me, I'm not completely helpless!" She said in an exasperated voice as she matched his stride beside him.

Yahiko stopped abruptly, so abruptly that Kisara continued to walk a few paces before realizing he had stopped, and had to walk back to him.

He studied Kisara with his dark eyes. "My apologies." He said and then held out the bowls of food to her.

Kisara frowned slightly at this awkward gesture before taking the bowls and continuing down the hallway. They continued to walk side-by-side for several minutes, Kisara outwardly frustrated, Yahiko outwardly calm. The more they walked, the more frustrated Kisara became, and in contrast, the calmer Yahiko seemed. Kisara wasn't sure if it was his infuriating attitude or the awkwardness of the situation that made her do it, but suddenly she turned to face Yahiko, one hand holding her breakfast, the other clenched, one finger pointing accusingly at the man.

"What is your problem?!" She half-shouted, half-snapped at Yahiko, her voice as a result taking on a strangled quality which seemed to fuel her frustration even more.

Yahiko, seemingly unfazed with her behavior, merely blinked at Kisara before he said, "I was unaware there was a problem….Kisara-sama".

"Yes, there is a problem! If we have to spend all waking hours together for I don't know how long, and you are going to act like this, we will have a _BIG_ problem!" Kisara threw back.

"I am simply doing my job. If you would prefer, next time I can allow you to be crushed by a stack of dirty dishes." Yahiko replied, as coolly and casually as Kisara was not.

"That is not what I mean, I mean your attitude! Yesterday and this morning you wouldn't even look at me, and now you treat me like a helpless little girl! And I refuse to work with someone who seems to hate me for no reason." Kisara stated, finally her temper returning at least somewhat under her control.

Yahiko seemed to consider this, something that he had not done before and then nodded. "Perhaps, however, I don't see how my own personal feelings regarding you will get in the way of the mission objective: keeping you alive".

"Of course it does! How can I trust someone who so openly dislikes me?!" Kisara scoffed with disbelief at his obliviousness to the situation.

"I don't…dislike you, Kisara-sama." Yahiko blinked at her, his tone akin to someone forced to have an innocuous conversation with a rock.

With that last comment, Yahiko continued down the hall to a door which he slid open to reveal a small tea room, not unlike the one that they had conversed in the night before. He turned towards her, gestured for her to sit. Kisara almost considered throwing her breakfast in Yahiko's cold, annoying face when her stomach gave a growl of protest. Slowly, she approached the cushions, this time sporting patterns of snow flowers, sat, and together they ate their meal in silence.

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion, Yahiko alternating from avoiding her, unintentionally insulting her, and then saying something almost pleasantly, and Kisara becoming more and more frustrated with the situation. They had wandered around the Big House as Kisara was unsure what to do with herself having far too little time left in her own village. They toured almost every room excluding Kira's and Lord Matsuoka's rooms. When Kisara encountered someone she knew, Yahiko would stand off to the side, or in the shadows, effectively isolating himself from introductions or taking part in the conversation. Finally, eight in the evening arrived, and with it, the change in guard.

* * *

Hatsuharu took one look at the pair of them as they awaited him in front of Kisara's rooms, and had to stifle an outward chuckle. Kisara, seemed relieved to see him, so much so that she favored him with a pretty smile before inquiring how his day had gone. Kisame indulged her with the regular pleasantries before she retired to her rooms, leaving him with a ruffled Itachi.

As soon as Kisara was safely behind her closed door, Kisame took the Uchiha into his full consideration. The circles that usually colored the skin under Itachi's eyes were darker than usual, as were the deep lines which accompanied them. Itachi's mouth, usually expressionless, was bend in an actually observable frown.

"Girlie wore you out that much, did she?" Kisame inquired innocently to his partner.

Itachi grunted in response to the inquiry, but also added "The job is….draining".

Kisame's eyebrows raised in response to that statement. For Itachi to admit that a mission drained him implied that the girlie gave him much more trouble than either of them bargained for. "Well, then enjoy your beauty sleep Yahiko-san, tomorrow is sure to be even better".

Itachi, seemingly too tired for a comeback to Kisame's light teasing, simply nodded and took his leave to their quarters.

Kisame watched his retreating back before turning to the rooms of their charge. _I wonder, just what did you do to him?_ He thought accusingly at the hard maple wood.

* * *

Itachi approached his and Kisame's rooms, rooms that they were first brought to upon entering the Big House, and slid open the shoji door before swiftly closing it behind him. His movements, as sleek and graceful as a cat's even in his exhausted state, aided him with shutting the door soundlessly. He headed toward the tatami bedding that Kisame had graciously laid out for him. Normally, Itachi would retire to sleep nearer to midnight and rise early before the sun. However, tonight he knew that if he gave himself the luxury, he would be dead asleep before his head hit the pillow. But because his life revolved around the constant need for routine and discipline, he forced himself to stay awake for the next few hours.

During those hours, he attempted to steal his emotions with cool logic. Taking up the thread of thought that he had begun weaving the night before, he began to analyze the current situation. He started with the facts. First, he and Kisame were in the Land of Snow in order to fulfill a mission for Leader with two objectives. The first objective was to obtain funding for Akatsuki so that they may achieve their future goals. The second objective was to gather information on the Eighttails which resided in the Land of Lightening.

This Lord Matsuoka, their employer, hailed from the Hidden Cloud Village, a village notorious for heavy military and of course, the eight tails jinchuriki who was the current Raikage's brother. That Village was the Ninja village of Lightening. Therefore, if Kisame and Itachi were to accompany the Lord and his new bride right into Hidden Cloud's territory, they would be able to gain invaluable information towards their goal of capturing the tailed beasts.

Itachi paused in his musings; there was still something about this plan that bothered him. If the Lord truly did boast exceptional ties with the Raikage, something that the Yukikage was obviously betting on with the marriage plans, why wouldn't the Lord have hired Cloud Shinobi to protect his 'new bride'?

Instead, the Lord Matsuoka had hired unknown Shinobi, himself and Kisame, presumably with no affiliation to any village. Itachi pondered this question for several minutes before he came up with several conclusions: first, perhaps the Lord was a fraud and had no such connections, though unlikely. Second, perhaps the Lord had those connections but did not wish to waste precious resources from his home Village on a simple protection mission. And third. The third option was the most concerning and perhaps the most likely: the Lord knew who he and Kisame were and intended on involving them in some plot that wouldn't carry ties to his Village.

His lips turned up slightly at these options. Leader, always the careful strategist, must have known, or at least suspected, this turn in the mission, as well as the potential plans of their 'employer'. As much as Itachi trusted anyone, he trusted Leader to always be hypervigilant before sending any member of the Akatsuki on a mission. Any slip-up, however slight could turn their delicate Organization on its head.

After pondering these first set of facts for over an hour, and unable to come up with an answer to early in the game, Itachi was forced to turn his attention to the second set of facts, facts that were jabbing him like a rock in his sandal. The fact that the more that Itachi saw of this village, the more unsettled he had become, and the more time he spent with his charge, Kisara-sama, the more uncomfortable he became.

After several minutes of careful consideration, he came to the conclusion that his feelings about his current mission had to do with what had happened a month previously, during his most recent mission. He and Kisame had been sent back into the heart of Fire Country, back into Konaha in an attempt to gain information on the nine tails Jinchuuriki. Additionally if luck would have followed them, they may have even succeeded in capturing the long blonde-haired boy. Regrettably, luck had not been on their side and the Toad Sage, Lord Jiraiya, and his younger brother Sasuke had interfered.

Itachi paused a moment in his thoughts to reflect on Sasuke's development. He couldn't help but feel a very small part proud of his younger brother's accomplishments. He had seen firsthand that Sasuke had mastered the Chidori, a technique Itachi knew he could have only learned from Kakashi-taichou. Realizing where his mind was headed, Itachi quickly smothered the feelings and returned to his previous thoughts.

 _Remember, facts only_. He chided himself. Kisame and Itachi's plans in Konaha had panned out to nothing and they returned to the base with little to offer but ill news for the rest of the group. Itachi himself had suffered a great deal of teasing and jeering from several members before he had placed Deidara into a brief state of sleep with the Mangikyo Sharingan. After that, the rest had left him alone.

Even Leader, who seemed to have an emotional spectrum of an acorn, seemed disappointed in the outcome of their mission. Therefore, Leader had expressly stated that this mission _must_ succeed, else Itachi and Kisame might experience worse than teasing and jeers.

With that not-so-subtle warning, he and Kisame had left to begin their current mission. Itachi was determined that it succeed so that his own plans, and the Akatsuki's, would prevail. But all the same, he could not ignore or deny that the current situation was affecting him on levels he did not wish.

Finally, his train of thought settled on the third and last fact: the parameters of his current mission were uncomfortable for him. It was true that Itachi was somewhat socially awkward, but even he had to inwardly cringe when he replayed some of the dialogue that had passed between himself and Kisara. It was perhaps his statement at breakfast that he found to be most unwelcome: the simple fact that Itachi _didn't_ dislike Kisara-sama. In fact, he found her graceful, attractive, intelligent, and capable. Four things that he hadn't expected during the mission and four things he respected.

Normally a peaceful and logical person, Itachi disliked stating unkind or unwarranted things to others. That did not mean that he would not state what was in his mind when the situation called for it such as it often did with Deidara or Kisame, but Itachi could not think of a single comment he had uttered that day that Kisara-sama had deserved to hear. Indeed as the day progressed, he could see that his statements were hurting her feelings, and he couldn't tell if it was that fact that made him do it all the more, or the overall state of his own emotions.

In either case, even though Itachi did like Kisara-sama, he could tell that her thoughts for him were quite the opposite—and he didn't blame her after the way he had been behaving. He blew a long strand of hair out of his face with a low whistle of air between his teeth. They might even have found the arrangement pleasant, if not particularly interesting, but he had to go and spoil it. Typical. It had actually gotten so uncomfortable that Itachi noticed that after the first few remarks, Kisara stopped talking to him altogether and they had passed the rest of the shift in relative silence.

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out of his mouth more slowly than before. _Well, what's done is done. Besides, it will probably be better for her if she doesn't like us anyway._ He reasoned to himself. After all, who knew what Kisame and himself would have to do once they got to Hidden Cloud. It would be a shame if the girl got in the middle, Itachi hated to kill anyone, much less someone who was so obviously not involved with the Akatsuki's goals. And with that grim thought, he finally allowed himself the luxury of sleeping one hour earlier than usual.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Thanks everyone for reading! Comments are appreciated!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Steel and Tears

After several days, Kisara became used to the clockwork change in guards and began to associate them distinctly with a change in her moods. During the evening and night hours, she was cheerful and friendly. She often spent the hours before sleep playing cards with Hatsuharu and Yuri. After the second night, she even noticed that Hatsuharu and Yuri seemed to be taking a liking to each other.

However, during the day, Kisara became grouchy and stiff thanks to her other bodyguard Yahiko. After their disastrous first day together, Yahiko seemed to sense that he had made her angry and tried another track altogether: complete silence. Indeed, Yahiko only spoke when directly addressed, and even then his responses were usually limited to a grunt or a hum depending on the necessary answer.

Kisara had moved through most of the week in these changing moods until, with quite a shock, she realized that they would all be departing from Shimogakure in three days. On the morning of the third day, Kisara was even gloomier than usual, a fact that strangely, Yahiko seemed to not only notice, but was actually trying to rectify. It was quite surprising to Kisara when she finally realized it around lunchtime.

"Kisara-sama" Yahiko intoned during the meal that they shared in yet another small tea room.

Startled out of her thoughts, Kisara looked up from her lunch that had starting out looking delightful, but after several bites turned as sour as her mood, to reply, "Yes, Yahiko-san?"

"You seem to have some skills as a Shinobi" this was a statement, not a question.

"Yes…?" She answered tentatively, wondering where he could be going with this conversation.

"Perhaps there is a spot that you favor for practice" again, a statement.

Kisara, more slow than usual when concerning social graces, realized after several seconds that he was asking her to show it to him. "Oh! Yes, yes I do have a spot…would you like to see it?" Kisara asked in a whisper, hoping that she hadn't missed the mark with Yahiko's odd change of personality.

Yahiko nodded slightly in assent.

"Okay, well I haven't trained since you got here anyway, so I wouldn't mind going after lunch!" Kisara's face lit up unexpectedly at the thought and she marveled how such a request could completely shift her mood. Smiling, she began to wolf down her lunch which had magically regained its flavor. A she did so, she did not notice that Yahiko's face had changed in surprise with her intense reaction to his suggestion of training. Smiling ever so slightly himself, he also finished his meal more quickly than normal.

After lunch, they had returned to Kisara's rooms so that she could change out of one of the light kimono that she had been wearing during the last few days and into her usual training clothes. When she stepped out of her rooms and back into the hallway, she turned to face Yahiko who was watching her intently.

"…what?" she asked him

Yahiko took a moment to answer, "Those clothes…suit you." He stated simply, before turning and waiting for her to lead the way to the training room.

Kisara blinked at his back, could it be that Yahiko had _complemented_ her? Smiling once again through her shock at the possibility, she led the way to the training rooms under the Big House.

They entered Kisara's training room, the one she had been using since she graduated from the academy, where she and Kira had spent many hours before he became the Yukikage, and crossed the wooden panels to one wall. Suddenly, Kisara was nervous. She hadn't trained in front of another person for several months, if she didn't count her brother. After graduating the academy, she had been assigned to a four-man cell, counting their Jounin leader, a light and springy woman named Hanna. However, as the marriage arrangements became final, Kisara was removed from the duties of a Shinobi of Frost, and her squad was assigned a new member. The Clan elders had explained to her that as important as the marriage was, they couldn't have her killed on a mission.

Kisara had been heart-broken at the time since everyone she knew, everyone she had grown up with, was a Shinobi. She had always thought that she would serve the Village that way until her death. As these thoughts ran through her head, she could suddenly feel Yahiko's eyes on her and managed to shake herself out of her revelry.

"Alright, what would you like to see?" She asked him.

Yahiko blinked at the question, then scanned the room, his eyes finally landing on one of the dull practice blades. He inclined his head toward it, "Do you know how to use that?" He asked her bluntly.

Kisara was so taken aback that she laughed, "Yes of course I do, haven't you seen the Yukidurama crest?" As she asked this, she turned and pointed her thumb at the crest that was embroidered on the back of her training shirt. The crest on her shirt was the same that was displayed over the police station on the village, the katana superimposed over a snowflake. She turned back to Yahiko to see the corners of his mouth turned up in what she supposed was a smile.

"Yes, I am quite observant. I did not want to assume that every member of the Yukidurama had skill with a blade". He responded.

"Well, almost all of us do. We learn as young children, even before entering the academy, with wooden swords. We also learn during the academy, a special class, how to make and temper the steel that is mined outside of the Village. The Yukidurama consider all blades and Kenjutsu to be a sacred art. In order for someone to be considered a master in our style, they have to design and create their own sword from the hilt down to the point of the blade. No sword of the Yukidurama is the same, just as no clansman would be who would wield them."

During her speech, Kisara began to feel herself getting excited. She had not had a chance in so long to speak to another person about training and swordsmanship. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Yahiko-san, would you consider sparing with me?"

For the first time, Kisara thought she saw a true, albeit minor, smile from Yahiko. He met her eyes and said simply,

"Yes."

* * *

Itachi didn't know why he agreed to spar with her in the first place, and for once, he didn't mind not knowing something. He had to admit to himself, at first he underestimated her. He thought that she had some skill as a ninja, but it was more, she was _good._ She was better than most Jounin and he wondered how she would have fared if introduced to an ANBU unit. In fact, she was so good he wondered why her future husband would even bother with bodyguards. It was obvious that she could take care of herself when faced with most threats.

He had to admit also, that he had been tempted, yes _very_ tempted to activate his Sharingan, not because he wishes to utilize his Genjutsu, but because it would have assisted him with tracking her movements and having a better look at her style. However, he desisted as it would have, of course, blown his cover and jeopardized the mission.

When they finally rested, they had been sparring with the dulled practice blades for over two hours. Itachi had not used a katana since his days in ANBU, as he preferred to use his Kuni and other Taijutsu techniques. His years of neglect with his swordsmanship left him rusty, rusty enough that she was almost better than him. Almost. He had to admit that her style was not only intriguing, but it reminded him of someone.

At first, the flashes of memory were slight. Perhaps it was a turn of her head here, a defensive block here, but before the two hours were up, he had to admit to himself just who those flashes of memory uncovered: Shisui. The girl not only fought like Shisui, but her movements and reactions were like his old friend's—and for all intents and purposes, his 'older' brother—as well. At some points, the similarities were almost eerie and, though Itachi was reluctant to admit it, he was enjoying himself, almost as if he and Shisui were sparring again.

When they were done with the last round, both he and the girl sat down on the wooden floor in order to get their breath back. Though their skills with swords were nearly matched, Itachi was in far better shape due to his rough lifestyle and constant combat, and as a result, only had a light sheen of sweat from the exertion. The girl on the other-hand, was dripping with sweat and took longer to recover in-between rounds. As they sat there, both catching their breaths, Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, and he could almost feel Shisui's presence.

"You know, that was the most fun I have had in a long time." Said Kisara suddenly.

Itachi jerked uncharacteristically at the comment, shaken suddenly from his reminiscing. Even more suddenly, he was unexpectedly annoyed at the comment. Annoyed that she reminded him so vividly of Shisui, annoyed that he had let his carefully constructed guard down. But most of all that he was tricked once again into remembering a past he so badly wanted to forget. All of this annoyance bubbled up inside of him and, before he could stop it, out of his mouth—

"You must lead a boring life to gain such entertainment from something so dull. No wonder you are looking forward to marrying the old man." He said as an uncharitable, and biting, response. After a minute of silence, he glanced toward the girl and immediately regretted his comments.

Kisara, who until now Itachi had only seen angry or fairly neutral with her facial expressions, looked at him with eyes brimming with tears. Taken aback, he tried to think of something to say or do, anything to avoid what he knew must be coming, all the while cursing his own social ineptitude in the process.

"You think I _want_ to get married…because I'm b-bored?!" Kisara stated in a voice that was surprisingly steady despite the tears threatening to spill from her green eyes. "You think I _want_ to leave my home, my Village, because it's too _boring_ here?!" She laughed dryly, continuing before he could respond, "You must think me a pampered little girl indeed to look forward to being someone's trophy wife."

Itachi, for once was at a loss for words. He met Kisara's eyes and shrugged his left shoulder in a half-hearted reply.

"I am getting married, _because there is no other choice_. Not for me, my Clan, or my Village." She stated these words with such force, and such conviction that, for what seemed like the hundredth time since he had entered this terrible place, he was transported back to a time and place when he had said something every similar regarding himself, his Clan, and his Village. He remembered a time when _he_ had been forced to make decisions for himself and others which stripped him or his own freedom and his future.

He looked up and met Kisara's vivid and pained eyes before stating, very softly, "…Indeed."

* * *

Kisara sat and mulled over her day which was nearly the last day that she would be in her childhood home, utterly disgusted at how she had spent the last few hours of her time. _Perhaps I shouldn't have sparred with him…indeed,_ she thought to herself as she soaked in the tub, her thoughts echoing the last word Yahiko had said to her before they parted. She was hoping not to just soak the sweat from her skin, but also the uncomfortable mixture of intense dislike and also mild comfort she had been feeling when she thought of him.

After their, she hated to admit it now, exhilarating, sparring session, and his chilling comment, the two of them promptly left the training room and returned to Kisara's quarters. She had left Yahiko without a word outside of her door and went to take a bath. She had been in the tub, doing more brooding than soaking, ever since. She suspected that Yahiko was sitting in his own sweat—she felt no guilt about that—since it was not quite time for him to switch shifts with Hatsuharu.

Thinking back to his scathing remark and her reaction, she wasn't sure what had made her break down like that to _him_ of all people. Especially when she had allowed him to hurt her with his words. She told him something about her true feelings that she wouldn't even tell Kira. What if he repeated it to Lord Matsuoka? Suddenly, she sat up in the tub, her chest and back running with soapy water. _What if he told Lord Matsuoka that the only reason I'm agreeing to marry him is because of the money?!_ She thought anxiously to herself. She could hardly even _think_ of a more unflattering and dishonorable way to enter a union.

Quickly, she rose completely from the tub, dried herself off and stepped into a cotton robe. She toweled her hair dry before entering the main sitting area of her quarters. She paused to listen at the door, confirming that Yahiko was indeed still outside, before crossing all the way into the third room which housed her bed and her dresser.

She rummaged around in her dresser before grabbing yet another kimono and matching obi. She struggled into the clothes, a difficult feat without the help of Yuri, and sloppily tied the obi around her waist. She walked back to the main door of the sitting room and slid it open. She looked down and met Yahiko's coal eyes. He was sitting in the spot where Hatsuharu usually sat when he spend the later hours of his shift. Kisara regarded him for a moment before asking,

"Would you come in for a moment?"

He nodded and rose from the floor, silent as a shadow. If Kisara wasn't so anxious, she might have found his movements fascinating.

She stepped back from the doorway to allow him entry and moved back a few paces to the stuffed chairs in the sitting room. Though the rest of the Big House was mainly furnished in the traditional style with futons and tatami mats, Kisara preferred more modern furniture in her own space.

Her sitting room provided several plushy stuffed armchairs and a low coffee table while her bedroom boasted a large four-poster bed. Kisara chose her favorite chair to sit in and gestured stiffly to the closest one for Yahiko to also enjoy. As Yahiko got himself comfortable, Kisara worked out in her head exactly what she wanted to say. She noted that Yahiko sat almost lazily in the chair, in stark contrast to how he usually looked while standing. He rested his long torso against the back of the chair and stretched out legs clad in black training pants. He rested his socked feet against one of the legs of the coffee table, his hands rested pleasantly on his lap. He looked like he was expecting to be read a story Kisara thought dubiously.

"Alright" Kisara started, her eyes level with Yahiko's. "I'm not sure how, but we seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot. Since we will be working together for the foreseeable future, it might be helpful to get to know one another. Sort of, work through the tension if you will."

Yahiko seemed to accept her offering of the olive branch and nodded in response.

Kisara sat back with satisfaction. "Alright, you already know quite a bit about me, my family, even about my husband-to-be. Is there anything else you would need to know?"

Yahiko blinked and then, almost thoughtfully, leaned forward to regard her with his black gaze.

"…I have seen that you have skills with Taijutsu and Kenjutsu. If there ever came a time when you would need to be defended, it would aid us to know what other skills you possess." He stated logically.

Kisara nodded before responding. "What you ask goes against the typical instincts of a Shinobi which is to guard our secrets jealously, but given our current situation, I will give you a brief synopsis of my…talents."

For the next quarter of an hour, Kisara described her skills including Kenjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu including her blood-line limit of ice jutsu, with Yahiko asking several questions at different intervals. Finally, he seemed satisfied, and asked one last question.

"…Genjutsu?"

"Yes, normally that would be part of any Shinobi's skillset, but I guess you don't know overly much about the Yukidurama." She stated as an afterthought.

Yahiko raised his eyebrows in question.

"The Yukidurama are completely unable to utilize Genjutsu. Therefore there is no need to discuss it." She stated bluntly.

Yahiko tilted his head before omitting a sound deep in his throat that suggested both surprise and interest.

"Yes, it's been that way as long as we have been a clan. But anyway, enough about me. It's your turn." She quickly changed the subject before he could ask other questions. Overall, she understood the logic of educating her bodyguards regarding her capabilities, but she wasn't stupid. Stupid Shinobi were dead Shinobi. Kisara wouldn't divulge the Clan's, and the Main Family's, greatest secrets to a man that she barely knew. No, Kisara would most certainly not.

At her last words, Kisara observed that Yahiko tensed, just slightly, and then relaxed. "What would you wish to know?" His words were neutral, but heavily guarded with discomfort, not suspicion, she thought. Yahiko seemed to dislike talking about himself.

"I don't want to know any deep, dark secret or anything. Just give me something simple. Something I can relate to."

Yahiko raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond right away. He raised his elbows to his knees, clasped his hands together and leaned forward towards her. "You wish to be able to relate to me." This was not a question.

Kisara mimicked Yahiko's position and also leaned towards him. "Yes. If you are to watch my back, as is your job, I need to be able to at least trust you on some level. So far all I know is that you are socially inept, insult me for no reason, but also enjoy sparring with me."

"I enjoy sparring with you." This time, a partial question as if he was asking how she could know that about him, while at the same time ignoring the first two parts of the statement.

Kisara smiled, "Yes, that much, I can tell from your actions and expressions." She didn't elaborate and Yahiko pressed no more.

He leaned back to his previous relaxed position, long legs stretched before him, and turned his gaze to the window that was nearest to his chair. He seemed to be thinking deep thoughts and Kisara left him for a few moments. Her own thoughts beginning to wander until his voice brought her back to the present.

"….I like…dango."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks as always! Also, I don't own Naruto or anything!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

The next two days passed in a blur of goodbyes and hidden tears, and quite suddenly, it was the last night and Kisara, Yahiko, and Hatsuharu would be leaving with Lord Matsuoka in the morning. For the last evening, Kira had let out all of the stops in order to not only move up the farewell party, but to also make it an extravaganza. It was so expansive that Kisara actually hinted to Kira that she was worried about the state of the Village's funding. He winked and let her know that her new husband had been quite generous with aiding in the celebration. Mollified at the news, Kisara then became determined to enjoy herself as much as possible at her husband-to-be's expense.

The first part of the day she spent visiting all of her friends and family from the Village with a quiet Yahiko in tow. Since Kisara had offered the olive branch to him several days earlier, the two had managed to become quite civil in their interactions. After they returned from the village, Kisara was feeling very raw with emotion. She had known the goodbyes would be hard, but she had expected to have more time. _You always think you have more time_ she thought sardonically.

After a quick lunch, she had been whisked away by Yuri to change into the final kimono that her brother had provided for the occasion. This kimono was particularly special because it had belonged to their mother, Kanna. Kanna had also had large and expressive green eyes like Kisara and most of her clothing served to enhance their appeal. This kimono was no different.

It was a beautiful piece, deep green with golden butterflies and a matching golden obi. Yuri arranged her hair, setting golden hair pins which reflected the afternoon sun as she moved. When she was finally dressed and set just right by Yuri's high standards, Kisara opened the door of her rooms to find two faces waiting for her instead of one.

Yahiko and Hatsuharu each stood waiting for her in the hallway. At the sight of her, each gave classical reactions for their personalities. Hatsuharu whistled and said, "Looking good lady!" with great enthusiasm, and winked at Yuri also looking splendid in her purple kimono.

Yahiko, on the other hand, studied every detail from her white tabi socks to the golden pins in her hair. The corners of his lips lifted slightly and he nodded his head and hummed low in his throat. Somehow, even after knowing them for only a week, she was becoming an expert at reading the true meaning of their communication. She smiled, genuinely, at both of them and allowed them to escort her and Yuri to the party.

The banquet was everything that had Kira wanted it to be for his baby sister. The food featured all of her favorites including all of the delicacies of Hidden Frost from snow cones and ice cream for dessert, to hot pot with snow buffalo as the main course. There was even a selection of dango, which she had asked for specifically as another peace offering for Yahiko. It worked better than she thought as she saw that he ate little of any other dish and went back to the dessert table three times for additional helpings.

With the excellent food came excellent entertainment. There was music and dancing along with performers who had prepared special ensembles for the occasion. As the afternoon wore on to evening, Kisara began to have the realization that even though this party was for her and the great duty she was completing for the village, it was _still_ a goodbye party.

At a break in the performers, Kisara politely excused herself from her seat between Kira and Lord Matsuoka, the place of honor, and headed towards the bathroom. Hatsuharu and Yahiko didn't follow her right away, but their eyes followed her every movement.

Kisara locked the bathroom door and sat on the floor. She was careful not to damage or dirty her kimono, but as she sat, she suddenly couldn't stop the shudder that wracked her body. She covered her mouth instantly so that the violent sobs couldn't be heard by anyone who may be standing close to the door.

There was nothing for it, Kisara allowed herself a few moments of pure and unadulterated despair for her situation. Yes, she was doing it for her friends and family. Yes, it was an honor to serve her village and Yukikage in this way. Yes, she was proud of herself for making the decision. But Kisara couldn't pretend that it was what she wanted.

If she looked at the situation for what it really was, a business transaction, she could no longer feel pride in her decision. She was being sold as a brood mare in order to support her destitute Village and supply her Clan with much-needed business contacts. She was single-handedly opening trade routes between two countries torn apart by war with her body. And that ugly fact, was one that she could never go without seeing.

After what seemed like an eternity to Kisara, she was brought out of her thoughts by a sharp knock on the door followed by Yahiko's deep tones, "Kisara-sama, do you need assistance?"

"N-no. I'll be out in a minute." She struggled to calm her voice and hide any pretense of tears. She hoisted herself up from the bathroom floor and took a look at herself in the mirror. She groaned inwardly at the mess she had made of her face and hair. Slowly, she attempted to rectify the situation, knowing all the while that it was hopeless. She just wasn't any good at the girl stuff. When she had made some attempt at damage control, she took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.

Yahiko took one look at her face and frowned, well as much as Yahiko ever frowned. Slowly, he held out his hand to her, and she took it even more slowly due to her confusion. He grasped her hand and led her down the hall, the opposite direction of the party. Even in her distraught state, she couldn't help but notice that Yahiko's hands were very warm and solid. She found that she didn't totally mind holding it.

They walked for several minutes; Kisara was too relieved that she didn't have to face the rest of the festivities to ask where they were going. Finally, Yahiko stopped in front of Kisara's rooms.

"Take a few minutes and calm yourself down." He requested in a way that Kisara knew she had no choice.

Hesitantly, she entered her room; most of her belongings had been packed up over the last few days. It looked totally different and she had some trouble maneuvering herself around the boxes in the restrictive kimono, but she made it to the bathroom and set to work with some basic make-up, some of which Yuri had used earlier, showing here how to make it work. As she laboredto make herself presentable again by fixing the damage that her breakdown had caused, she sensed Yahiko standing outside of the bathroom, leaning against the far wall.

"It would mean a lot to me if you didn't report this to Lord Matsuoka" She stated, in a way that made it clear it was a request, after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't report to Lord Matsuoka anything I don't need to" He replied simply.

Startled, Kisara paused in her efforts and looked briefly out of the bathroom into Yahiko's face, and she could see nothing sarcastic or untrue in it.

"This surprises you" He said in his non-questioning way.

"Yes…I assumed that you reported everything to Lord Matsuoka, I thought that was one of the reasons he hired you".

"I do report some things, but as I said, nothing that is not required".

"Can I ask…what is required?"

Yahiko shrugged lightly as if what he was reporting really didn't matter to him, "He requires a general report of your daily activities including whereabouts and interactions with others. He did not request to know specifics of your feelings and thoughts."

Kisara considered this before asking, "Then what I said to you when we sparred the other day, about the marriage, did you report that to him?" Her heart was pounding as she asked this. She knew if he had reported their conversation, and her comment that she had no choice but to agree to the arrangement, it could damage the betrothal.

"It was not required information" Yahiko replied smoothly. He met her eyes as she said it, and she was flooded with instant relief.

"I appreciate you not mentioning anything" she said softly, smiling genuinely at Yahiko. She returned to the bathroom and almost didn't hear his muted reply of "You are welcome".

As soon as Kisara was able to make herself at least somewhat presentable, though she couldn't help but notice that Yuri had done a _much_ better job, she and Yahiko returned to the party. As they entered, Kisara was joined immediately by her brother.

"Where were you?" Asked Kira out the side of his mouth as he maintained the usual dazzling smile. "Everyone has been asking about you, they wanted you to join in the dancing!"

Kisara realized that the rest of the performances had ended and the guests were participating in paired dances, either revolving slowly in a circle, or engaging in more lively movements depending on their mood. She looked at Kira and smiled, he in turn fixed her with a true smile, one that said all she needed to know. Kira held out his hand and Kisara took it and they spend the rest of the evening talking and laughing as they danced together. And for the first time in a long time, both knowing it wouldn't happen again in the near future, Kira and Kisara were simply brother and sister. And for that moment, that was enough.

* * *

The next morning was absolute chaos. Maids and servants ran back and forth from Kisara's rooms to the awaiting pack horses and carriages. Kisara herself was also in chaos. She found herself wandering aimlessly around her almost-empty rooms. She wandered the hall ways, dodging boxes and bags, avoiding conversations. Yahiko wandered with her and for once the pair plodded along in a compatible silence. Yahiko seemed to realize that Kisara needed to be alone, well, as alone as the Lord's orders would allow her to be anyway.

As the minutes turned to hours, finally, the time to depart came at last. Kisara marveled that though the last week seemed to fly by, the day of the departure seemed to crawl at a snail's pace. The flow of servants with Kisara's belongings slowed to a trickle, then ceased altogether.

* * *

When Kira found her, she and Yahiko were sitting, almost amiably, next to one of the winter koi ponds. Kisara looked up from the pond's frosted surface and met the equally frosted blue eyes of her brother.

Kira smiled endearingly at his sister. Kira knew Kisara quite well, so well in fact that he had no trouble finding her even when considering the hectic nature of the move. He chuckled to himself as he recalled the panic that several servants were in when they were unable to locate Kisara. Being the Yukikage, he of course had many duties that he had to attend to, and finding his sister to assist with her departure was just one of them.

When Lord Matsuoka himself came to his study and informed him that they were ready to depart, Kira finally left to find Kisara. As he made his way down the hallways of the Big House, he stopped by Kisara's rooms. He didn't think to find her there, since all of her belongings were removed, but he did so simply because he wished to remember. Kira entered the sitting area of the three-room suite. Even though the furniture had been removed and the walls had been stripped bare, Kira could still see the outline of the objects that had adorned the room since Kisara had claimed it ten years ago.

The rooms that Kisara had occupied since she was eight years-old used to belong to their mother, Kanna. Kanna had died in childbirth when Kira was five years old. When Kumo, their father, died two years later from illness, Kira had moved into those rooms when he became a Chunin at the age of nine. Even at so young an age, Kira was expected to hold much responsibility as the next head of the Yukidurama. He remembered that it was around that time that he was forced to spend less and less time with Kisara.

Kira paused in his musings to run a finger down a split in the ancient wood near the door. He smiled to himself as he remembered that he had to scold Kisara for practicing with her sword indoors. She had pouted as she took the reprimand, promising to practice outside or in one of the Big House training rooms the next time. He had of course not been able to stay mad at her for long and they had entered the training room together and he had practiced with her until both of their bodies were bruised from the dull practice swords.

He took one last look around the rooms before he continued his search for his sister. He stepped over the threshold of the quarters and closed the sliding door behind him with a sharp snap. The next time anyone would be living in those rooms would be when Kira's future wife, whoever that would be, chose to reside there as the bride of the clan head.

Kira passed many places that held memories from his childhood as he continued his search. He passed the kitchen, where Kisara had learned to cook from the head chef, Kazuma-san. He passed the multiple training rooms of the Big House, lingering at the one where he and Kisara had passed long hours of training as he taught her the secrets of Kenjutsu, and of the Yukidurama blood-line limit of Ice Jutsu.

He paused in his search to reflect on the strength of his sister. It was true that while he, Kira, was regarded as the strongest Shinobi in the Frost Village, hence his title of Yukikage, he knew that Kisara held talents to match his own. Kira knew that the title of the strongest Yukidurama, truly belonged to someone else entirely. Kira, always the thoughtful one, knew that if others were aware of that fact, it would change his plans for his sister. And Kira wouldn't have that.

Finally, Kira approached Kisara's most well-known hiding place, the frosted koi pond. The koi pond was one of several outdoor ponds that existed in the Big House grounds. The koi who lived in the ponds were of a special variety native to the Land of Snow. They were known as frostfish, able to survive with even the coldest winters known to Snow Country. Kira paused to admire their silvery scales, a color that was mirrored in the hair of the Yukidurama. As such, the fish were clan favorites and revered as precious pets.

Kisara herself had her right hand tracing shapes on the crystalized surface of the water, aware of the koi themselves nipping at the ice in hopes of getting some kind of treat. Yahiko was seated beside Kisara, each of them sitting cross-legged on the wooden boards that bordered the pond.

"Time to go Kisa-chan" Kira said softly, using Kisara's childhood nickname.

Signing heavily, Kisara removed her hand from the ice and raised her green eyes to meet his blue ones. "I know".

Kira smiled once again, this one tinged with sadness. He approached Kisara and extended his hand. She grasped it and he helped her gently to her feet so as not to snag the long fabric of the kimono she wore against the cold. Kira nodded to Yahiko who also stood, and the three of them made their way to the front entrance of the Big House.

* * *

After many tearful goodbyes and farewells not only from the Yukidurama Clan, but the entire Village, Kisara was emotionally drained. But the goodbye that she has been dreading the most, was the last one. She approached the caravan of carriages, each stacked with her belongings as well as various trade goods that Lord Matsuoka had acquired during the last week in Shimogakure.

Kira stood at the side of her carriage, the one she would be riding in with Hatsuharu and Yahiko. Due to his insistence of bodyguards for the journey, Lord Matsuoka would be riding in his own carriage with his own bodyguards. The caravan itself would be surrounded by multiple guards to protect it both from bandits and from various missing-nin whose aim would be to collect profit on the items and goods that were being transported.

Kisara approached the carriage and her brother. She took a deep breath, and did her best to hold back her tears, knowing she was failing miserably. She took a few more steps and then lost all of her composure as she flung herself in Kira's arms. They both stayed like that for several minutes, each not wanting to end the embrace. Finally, Kira pulled away and grinned his brotherly grin.

"Come now Kisa-chan, are you really going to miss me that much?" He asked teasingly

Kisara laughed as she tried in vain to wipe her nose without getting snot and tears on the expensive fabric she was wearing. "Of course not, who would miss a pain-in-the-ass Yukikage like you?" She teased back.

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose you wouldn't be interested in your good-bye present."

"I'm getting a present just for leaving? Well, give me a moment and I'll leave and come back for a second one!"

Kira laughed, more Kisara thought to avoid crying then from actual humor, and gestured to one of his aids who was standing to his right. The aid, Kisara knew his name was Juri, handed Kira a long, narrow box. The box itself was a work of art. It was a glossy black, and at the center was the Yukidurama crest, the sword superimposed over the snowflake.

Each symbol was vibrantly painted, the colors seemed to jump out of the black background. Awed, Kisara accepted the package from Kira. She noticed that the front side of the box had a clasp shaped like a Shuriken. She popped the clasp open and raised the lid, and almost dropped the entire box in surprise. She shifted the box into her right hand and grasped the sword hilt with her left. The sword was one that she had seen Kira use many times in practice. As each member of the Yukidurama achieved Jounin distinction, they marked the occasion by making and naming their own sword. As Kisara was not able to achieve that status before she was removed from the Village Shinobi ranks in favor of her new role, she had missed the opportunity to make and name her own sword.

The sword that she now held had been hand-made by Kira when he was twelve years old. The blade was made of ice-hardened steal, the hilt made of carved whale bone. The handle wrapped with caribou-leather. Kisara drew the blade from the sheath, in order to read the kanji that she knew were etched on the blade: Yoarashi, The Night Storm.

This time, Kisara didn't do anything to prevent the tears from streaming down her face. She sheathed Kira's—no _her_ —sword, and placed it securely back into the black box, and bowed low to her brother while stating formally, "Thank you, nii-san, I will cherish this gift and wield it proudly."

Kira smiled at his sister and they embraced once more. Then with her new gift tucked under her arm, Kira handed her into her carriage. He stepped back in order to allow Yahiko then Hatsuharu to step into the carriage after her. As the horse began to move the long line forward, Kira couldn't help but raising both of his arms to send his sister off. Kisara to her credit, leaned as far out of the window as her clothes would allow and waived back as she watched her house, her home, and the rest of her family, shrink into the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! As some of you may have noticed I have been slowly going through the chapters and editing the original version. This is mostly because I started writing this story almost a year ago and I was having trouble remembering what I had written! Also, because I wanted to fix several typos that I noticed. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Long Dreaded Journey

Kisara hung out the window of the carriage as long as she could before the combination of wind chill and the possibility of frozen tears forced her to retreat inside. Kisara leaned back against the padded seat and let out a deep sign. She had known that the goodbyes would be difficult, but she hadn't known that she would have had to endure them with her bodyguards, instead of her fiancé.

Lord Matsuoka had said his goodbyes during the festivities the night before, and since then, Kisara had not seen hide nor hair of him. She had asked several others in the household including her brother and the answer had been the same, 'Lord Matsuoka begs his pardon, but he had several business transactions to take care of before the journey and will not be available until you arrive in Hidden Cloud.".

Well, if his current behavior was anyway to gauge things, it appeared that Kisara wouldn't have to deal with being overcrowded by her husband-to-be.

"Well girlie, you done crying your eyes out?" Hatsuharu asked, his pointed teeth gleaming in the light of the afternoon sun which both dazzled and startled Kisara from her thoughts.

"Why yes I am, thanks so much for asking" Kisara answered, sarcasm thick as honey in her tone.

Hatsuharu laughed heartily and went back to looking out the window. As far as carriages went, this one was fairly spacious. Hatsuharu, as the largest of the three, was seated across from Kisara and Yahiko sat beside her. Kisara looked out of the corner of her eye to her right. Yahiko was also looking out of his window, presumably watching the snow-covered landscape slide past with little interest. Kisara settled back into the cushioned seat and allowed herself to be lulled by the rhythmic motion of the carriage.

* * *

Itachi rested his chin in his right hand as his eyes roamed the never-changing landscape of the Land of Snow. This time of year the snow fell deep and the road on which the caravan traveled and had to be cleared to allow the spiked wheels to bite into the ice which lay underneath. Gradually, Itachi became aware that their charge had fallen asleep, rocked by the motion of the carriage, which seldom bumped thanks to the smooth ice on which they traveled. He glanced lightly to his left to confirm his suspicions and found that Kisara was breathing heavily against the far wall of the carriage.

Itachi returned to his gaze to the frozen landscape, admiring the way the sunlight reflected upon the ice crystals. Though Itachi disliked most forms of travel which he did not control, he had to admit that the carriage ride was pleasant since it allowed him to observe his surroundings at leisure. He knew after speaking with their employer the night before that their journey to the Lord's holdings would take about one week. Itachi's mouth raised upwards. It seemed at last that the mission's true purpose would be underway, which was all to the better since both he and Kisame were tiring of the current arrangement.

It wasn't as if either man disliked Kisara, in fact, Itachi knew that Kisame was growing particularly fond of her, although he refused to acknowledge that fact for himself. It was simply that both were not used to staying in one place for such a long time. Itachi changed his gaze once again, this time glancing at Kisame. The larger man's blue hair nearly scraped the ceiling of the carriage. His long legs were bent at what Itachi assumed was an uncomfortable angle in order to accommodate their length. Kisame himself was leaning back into the seat with his arms folded in front of him. His eyes closed, seemingly relaxed despite his cramped posture.

Kisame, sensing Itachi's eyes on him stated, "What's on your mind…Yahiko-san?"

"…Just enjoying the scenery." He replied.

"Somehow I doubt that the Great Ita—I mean the Great Yahiko-san, is without a single thought" Kisame stumbled over Itachi's cover name.

Itachi glanced quickly at Kisara and breathed easy to see she was still fast asleep "Careful…or we may come to regret those slip-ups" Itachi said with his eyes narrowed.

Kisame raised both hands in defense, "Sorry, sorry. This job is a bit harder than I thought. Too many things to remember."

Itachi nearly smiled as he returned his chin to his right hand, this time turning more fully towards Kisame before replying, "Yes, for someone with your one-track mind, I am sure that remembering even your own name is quite a challenge."

Despite the jab, Kisame grinned as he was familiar to Itachi's usual brand of teasing which consisted mostly of dead-pan one-liners. He chuckled to himself and resumed his foe-relaxed posture, closing his eyes against the afternoon glare.

Itachi reclaimed his favored blank expression as he returned his gaze back out the window. The carriage hit a particularly thick piece of ice which resulted in the carriage shoving itself to the right. This shove in turn deposited Kisara's sleeping form from her spot against the window, right onto Itachi's left shoulder. He tensed at the unexpected physical contact, then gradually relaxed as he came to realize that she was still asleep, something that he found to be amusing. He wondered how anyone, especially a Shinobi, could sleep that deeply.

He briefly considered waking her and forcing her to move back to her spot against the window, but he reconsidered after remembering the emotional display he observed before their departure.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he remembered the last twenty-four hours. First there had been the fine display of composure he witnessed after pulling her out of the bathroom, combined with her out of character behavior of the morning. She had awoken late, after being forced to move out of her room, barely ready for the day, as the servants packed up the rest of her belongings. Itachi had observed that she seemed to be half-asleep, bumping into things, tripping over edges in the floor. He had to actually stop her a few times from truly falling on her face. As this sort of behavior was so different from her normal graceful movements, Itachi found himself actually worrying that something had happened to her during Kisame's shift.

After an hour of her pointless wandering, Itachi actually suggested going outside for fresh air. She had started at his voice, in such a way that Itachi believed she had forgotten he was there. She had laughed an irritating girlish laugh and took him up on the suggestion. Together they had made their way to a lovely koi pond. Once they had arrived, they had sat in silence until the Yukikage had discovered their hiding place.

As Itachi ran through these events in his mind, he reflected in the silence of the carriage on his own feelings. It was true that he had felt unsettled as soon as he and Kisame had entered Hidden Frost one week ago, but it was also true that those feelings had begun to ebb as soon as they left. A telltale sign was that Itachi allowed Kisara to rest on his shoulder now, something that would have been extremely uncomfortable for him while in the Big House. He pondered this change within himself for some time before his conclusions came to the undeniable fact that he simply enjoyed her presence.

The idea that Itachi Uchiha…enjoyed being with another person…especially a woman…was strange indeed. But not too strange if one truly knew him. Of course he had been forced to endure Kisame's opposing personality for the past six years. Before that, Itachi had to admit that the last person besides his brother whom he truly enjoyed being around was Shisui. At that thought, Itachi's eyes narrowed. _Again? Why again? Why does she remind me of him?_ He thought to himself. _Even the way she sleeps looks like Shisui,_ he thought dubiously. He shifted slightly to allow her head to rest more comfortable on his shoulder, and was transported back in time.

Itachi had been five years old when he first met Shisui. Shisui himself was twelve years old and already a Chunin. It was near the beginning of Itachi's first year at the academy when they first spoke to each other. Shisui had been chosen to come to class and demonstrate his teleportation jutsu. By this point Shisui was already well-known as _Shunshin no Shisui,_ or Shisui of the Body Flicker. The other children in the class were amazed by the seemingly effortless way that Shisui would dodge objects that were chucked at him, including Kuni, and by the way he had flippantly asked them to do so. Many had been apprehensive at first, afraid that they would actually hit him and hurt him. Though as the demonstration wore on, it was clear that he would dodge anything the academy students threw his way.

Itachi himself had been amazed, though he didn't show it in class. Even then he had been quiet and reserved with his feelings. After the lesson, the students had been asked to turn in a short assignment theorizing how Shisui's technique worked and they would discuss it during the next class. Afterwards, Shisui had seemed to be waiting around after his demonstration. It was only until after they began talking that Itachi realized Shisui had been waiting for him.

After that, the two of them were nearly inseparable. Itachi had been feeling lonely for a few weeks because everyone in his house was awaiting the birth of the new baby, his younger brother or sister-to-be. Itachi knew that his parents were busy, what with the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War coupled with having another child. As a result, neither of his parents had spent much time with Itachi since he had entered into the academy. Shisui had seemed to sense that loneliness and as a result when he wasn't on missions, he took special care to spend most of his free time with Itachi. It was the first time that Itachi had felt he could really talk to someone and Shisui had so much to talk about.

Finally, when Itachi's new baby brother arrived, it was like having two siblings instead of one. Shisui was a welcome member of Itachi's family. The two of them could always be counted on to watch Sasuke when Makoto and Fugaku were absorbed with Clan business or when they needed a break.

Shisui was like the older brother Itachi never even knew he wanted. Someone to look up to, someone to talk to. Shisui was Itachi's best friend, and as it would turn out, greatest ally. Together, the two of them had uncovered and monitored the Uchiha Clan's secret plan to revolt against the Hidden Leaf. And somehow through the entire experience, Itachi always felt supported and calm, even with the constant stress of being the clan prodigy and double-agent for the Leaf.

Then all of that calm and support vanished the instant that Shisui took his own life that evening as he threw himself into the Naka River. Ever since that day, Itachi's emotions had to be contained, deep within himself. He had not allowed himself the luxury of feelings. He still remembered the unbridled rage and pain that he experienced when he lost Shisui. That wall of emotion threatened to consume him and consequently unlocked his Mangikyo Sharingan. The last time he had cried had been the night he had murdered his parents, the Clan, and fled to join the Akatsuki.

Thus when Itachi considered the deep emotional connection that he shared with Shisui, his greatest friend, it seemed strange that he should feel similarly when faced with this foreign girl. On the outside, Kisara and Shisui seemed nothing alike. After all, Shisui was an Uchiha and consequently had the dark eyes and hair to go with it. Kisara, on the other hand, sported silver hair that seemed to glow in the moonlight, her eyes the color of the deep forest. Even with these outside differenced, as Itachi continued to spend more and more time with her, he was able to see those glimpses of his dead friend.

The first significant look had been when they sparred at the Big House. The fluidity of her movement was stunning, so much so that Itachi wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly flickered in and out of existence, like Shisui. The second look had been during her random bursts of emotion and mercurial moods, something that Shisui had been famous for. However, Itachi was certainly glad for one _obvious_ difference between the two: Shisui was not a woman.

Just as Itachi had grown more used to the constant reminders Kisara gave him of his past life, he was also acutely aware that he found her to be appealing to him in a physical way. He admitted to himself earlier in the week that he found her attractive, he would even venture to say beautiful though the thought was an uneasy one. Either way he looked at it, the fact that Itachi was at that very moment almost comfortable with having an attractive woman lean against him was—well, surprising was a word he was using too often of late—satisfactory, on a level with which he was most unfamiliar.

The carriage hit another patch of thick ice and he sprung back into the present with his thoughts, realizing that the sun had begun to set and the carriage had begun to slow down. As it came to a full stop, he softly nudged Kisara so that she would wake. Slowly, she roused herself from her deep sleep. Itachi suspected she had been exhausted from the week's events as well as from her own deep emotions.

He watched as Kisara dragged herself awake. She yawned heavily and then abruptly sat up once she realized on whom she was leaning. Itachi noticed with amusement that a slight blush adorned her fair features.

Her green eye met his own onyx ones and she said, "Sorry about that, guess I passed out."

"Think nothing of it." He replied shortly, his sense of amusement increasing slightly at her response.

"You could have woken me" She mumbled, the blush spreading across her face like a rising run across a snow-covered landscape.

"I could have, but that would have required more effort" Itachi replied bluntly, "Besides, we are at our resting place for the night". He gestured across Kisara and she followed his pointing finger as it rested on a medium-sized inn.

"Finally!" Kisame yawned, even more hugely than Kisara had, "My legs are numb and I gotta take a wicked leak!" And with that vast amount of information, Kisame pushed past both of them and grasped he handle of the carriage, opened it hurriedly and stepped down, his sandaled toes crunching the freshly fallen snow.

"Hatsuharu-san, we must attend to our duty with Kisara-sama before you care for your own needs", Itachi reminded in a low, but carrying, voice.

His comment stopped Kisame in his tracks and he turned his head to glare in Itachi's direction. Kisame frowned but said, "Yeah, yeah. Keep your panties on."

Kisara giggled at Kisame's last comment which caused Itachi's own face to mimic Kisara's own fair blush. Kisame knew Itachi hated to engage in their usual banter around others. Bottling his feelings of exasperation, Itachi helped Kisara out of the carriage, and together the three of them trudged through the snow in the hopes of a warm place to sleep.

* * *

Kisara followed Yahiko and Hatsuharu into the inn, to find that Lord Matsuoka was already waiting and making the arrangements for their accommodations for the night. Kisara took the opportunity to look around and found it was a quaint inn, one that serviced one of the larger towns in the Land of Snow. The décor was of the traditional style, though she noticed the familiar signs of wear and tear that was common-place throughout the area.

"Yes, yes, that number of rooms will suffice" said the Lord. He turned to Kisara and favored her with a smile that, while charming, made the hairs on the back of Kisara's neck stand up.

"My dear, please forgive the drab accommodations, it is lamentable that this area has nothing else to offer us in the way of luxury. Alas, please make yourself at home, and please remember that money is no object. If you are hungry, please simply ask your guards to get food. If you require anything else, I am _sure_ they will accommodate us, as there are not very many other guests that can afford the _number_ of rooms I have requested". Though his tone was at first pleasant, his statement ended with an icy chill that did nothing to improve the classical atmosphere of the inn.

While Lord Matsuoka was talking, Kisara watched out of the corner of her eye to see the concierge turn red from embarrassment and then darker still at the veiled threat. She turned her full attention back to her fiancé. "I can't thank you enough Hajime-san—."

"My dear, my dear! You simply must address me as simply Hajime, or perhaps as your 'beloved'" He said with a toothy grin.

"Ahh, very well, Hajime" Kisara tasted the honorific-less name awkwardly and found it to be bitter and strange on her tongue, "I wanted to thank you so much for all the care and hospitality you have shown me." She bowed low to the Lord who merely smiled at her.

"Of course my dear, anything for my future bride". He returned the bow and then clapped his hands sharply, the behavior of a man who expected to be obeyed, and obeyed he was. Before the sound from his clap could finish reverberating off of the walls, a boy, Kisara thought he may be about twelve, materialized near Lord Matsuoka's right elbow.

"Yes Milord, I am at your service." The young boy crossed his right arm over his chest to touch the opposite shoulder and bowed low, lower than Kisara had bowed, as he presented himself to Lord Matsuoka.

The Lord ushered the boy to show himself and Kisara their rooms. The Lord and Kisara moved to the front of the party, closely followed by Hatsuharu and Yahiko as well as the Lord's own personal bodyguards, with the other members of the caravan taking up the rear. This was the first opportunity that Kisara had to take a look at the Lord's bodyguards. As far as she could tell, they were identical twin brothers, almost impossible to tell apart. Each sported a stoic expression, even as their eyes constantly shifted from windows to doors and back again. Curious, Kisara turned her gaze to study her own bodyguards to see that they were doing the same. Kisara could understand that they were paid to be constantly vigilant and to ensure the safety of their charges, but she couldn't imagine what dangers this little inn could pose.

As the party made its way to the assigned rooms, the caravan drivers and Lord Matsuoka's other servants peeled off to various suites along the way, until Kisara, the Lord, and their respective entourage, were what remained. The Lord was shown to the largest room that the inn offered, a spacious two room suite. Kisara was shown to the room next to his, which though smaller, was certainly luxurious enough for her own tastes. She and her two protectors entered the room, each more than satisfied with the accommodations.

"Not bad kicks for a night on the road" Hatsuharu whistled in appreciation.

Kisara smiled at him in response as she surveyed their space herself. Unlike Lord Matsuoka's rooms, this room was not a suite, though it did have a curtain that a guest could draw to provide some type of privacy. Kisara wandered around the room, her hands reaching out to slide against anything that looked fun to touch. She journeyed to the large bed with a light blue silken comforted to the equally silken curtains which adorned the windows. She pulled then apart to reveal a view of the frozen lake and wooded hills which surrounded the town.

Kisara folded her arms and leaned against the window sill, enjoying the feeling of being completely stationary after so many hours in a carriage. Hatsuharu and Yahiko joined her and they each gazed out at the view in compatible silence. This lasted several minutes before Hatsuharu's stomach gave a most startling growl in response to going so long without eating. Kisara, startled, began to laugh softly at the noise, but even harder as she saw the light blush which turned Haru's blue skin a light purple in embarrassment. Even Yahiko turned a slight smile at the sudden disturbance of the peace.

"Well, I guess you heard the boss man, I'll go get us some grub" Said Hatsuharu while he rubbed his nose with a pointer finger to hide further embarrassment. "My lady, since price is no object, what would you require of your simple servant?" He stated the last sentence with a flourish, as he bent down to one knee, successfully lowering his towering height by about a foot and a half, mimicking the servant boy's pose of one arm crossed over his heart as he did so.

Always one to play along, Kisara giggled out her response, "Well, since you asked, one of everything!" She teased.

Hatsuharu's smile widened into a very toothy grin as he responded, "As my Lady wishes!" Before rising up to his full height and bounding out of the room in anticipation of the food to come.

Kisara laughed at the antics of her blue bodyguard and turned to Yahiko who, as industrious as ever, was slowly separating the packs and staking out a sleeping place. Kisara, unsure how what she should be doing, wandered over to an overstuffed chair and sank into it gratefully. She paused in her relaxation long enough to ask Yahiko if he needed any help, to which he responded with a low 'no, thank you', before she pulled off her shoes and socks and curled up in the chair.

* * *

Sometime later, she was awakened by the delicious smell of food. Confused for a moment as to her whereabouts, she blinked as the plush furniture of the inn came into sharper focus, as did the source of the aroma. Hatsuharu had indeed come through with his promise of delivering everything on the menu. Her mouth watered as she eyes several decadent dishes. She stretched to relieve the ache of so many muscles cramped first by the carriage, and now by the comfortable arm chair. She yawned, thus attracting the attention of said bodyguard.

"Hey there little lady, finally got your beauty sleep?" Hatsuharu teased.

"Well, you can't expect me to get any semblance of real rest on a carriage, do you?"

"Normally no, but you surprised me earlier when you conked out on our dear Yahiko-san." He grinned in response.

Yahiko, who was about to take a bite out of a noodle dish he had in his lap, paused long enough to shoot a death glare at Hatsuharu. Then, almost daintily Kisara noticed, he placed a chopstick of food into his mouth. Kisara felt herself blush in response, she had forgotten about that.

"Either way, I will say that I am starving" she said, changing the subject.

"Well then, come here and chow down" Hatsuharu said enthusiastically. And Kisara did just that.

The trio ate in silence at first, in order to extinguish most of their appetite, then they began to converse lightly, picking at the half-eaten dishes with dreamy contentment. As the night grew older, the sleeping arrangements were made. Kisara would take the bed, while Hatsuharu took the couch and Yahiko settled himself on the same stuffed armchair where Kisara had slept earlier. For a moment, Kisara felt odd, after so many nights with Hatsuharu outside of her door to suddenly be sleeping in close proximity to the two men. But then she remembered many times she had shared similar arrangements with her Chunin squad and promptly fell into a proper sleep.

* * *

Itachi had chosen to take the first watch, something that Kisame found amusing as he even said, "It's an inn, what could happen?", but Itachi had ignored him. It wasn't a helpful characteristic of a Shinobi to be careless, especially a missing-nin.

His two companions fell asleep easily, which when he considered that Kisame had been awake since yesterday didn't surprise him. Kisara on the other hand, had napped twice during the day, yet she appeared to still be tired enough to fall asleep after only minutes. Perhaps she was simply exhausted after the day's events, but Itachi suspected that she suffered from more emotional fatigue.

Itachi had experienced something similar in the days and weeks following the Massacre. He had made sure to make it safely to the Akatsuki and enclosed within its ranks before choosing an almost coma-like existence for about a month. Leader hadn't mentioned anything about it at the time, but Itachi suspected that he knew all too well the sensation.

He glanced once more at Kisara, choosing not to acknowledge the growing feeling of respect and fondness that had begun to well in his chest whenever he did so, before settling into his watch.

* * *

The rest of the journey passed by uneventfully. Kisara was rocked into a sense of routine both by the motion of the carriage and by the passing of time on their journey. Their days began early, sometimes leaving their accommodations before the rising of the sun, and not stopping for rest until the sun was almost set. This continued on for several days until the time came when the landscape began to change. The terrane had transformed from hard, packed ice, to slush, and then finally, to the barren stone and high altitudes of Lightening Country. As such, the carriages themselves had transformed similarly to accommodate and enhance the speed of travel. The spiked wheels had been swapped in favor of a traditional steel design to endure against the harsh stone.

Other changes occurred as well. Kisara noticed that Yahiko's mood improved with each day they were putting between them and Hidden Snow. At first she wasn't so sure since he was by nature a quiet and reserved person. But on the fifth day of their journey, Yahiko was actually smirking at jokes that Hatsuharu cracked, sometimes at the expense of those around the blue bodyguard. Bemused by this drastic shift, Kisara was forced to conclude that her own mood was doing the opposite. The further away they went from her village, the sadder she became. This fact did not go unnoticed by her companions.

Around the sixth day, she realized that the two of them were actually trying to cheer her up, albeit in different ways. Hatsuharu had taken to changing the subject whenever they came close to talking about anything related to Hidden Snow. He had also began cracking jokes with such startling regularity, that Kisara actually had a sore stomach from laughing so much.

Yahiko on the other hand was being overly polite to her and even going so far as to do favors for her. There was one night where Yahiko not only opened a door for her, but he volunteered to go down and get the food, asking specifically for what Kisara would like to eat.

Kisara was touched by each of these gestures, and as a result, allowed herself to be cheered up significantly. Kisara had to admit that even though she was out of her element, far from home and nervous about her future, she found that it wasn't so bad with Yahiko and Hatsuharu with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy! I fixed a lot of issues with this one with tenses, not sure what I was originally thinking!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Lord and Ladies

Kisara gave a lengthy and cathartic sign as she sat down on the bed. _No,_ she corrected herself, _my bed._ It had taken over a week to travel the distance from Shimogakure to the Hidden Cloud Village, Kumogakure. The journey had been exhausting, and though Kisara no longer had to endure the constant motion of the carriage, that was as far as her feelings of relief extended.

She had inhabited her current quarters for two full days, and still couldn't think of it as something permanent. Even since she had arrived in the Village, the entire setting made her skin crawl as though it was swathed in layers upon layers of itchy silk. Kisara's physiological feelings turned her thoughts back on the events of the last two days.

Though the weather had definitely improved as the caravan traveled within the new country, Kisara had found the landscape to be bleak and intimidating. The mountains and valleys had presented so differently from the flat expanse of the Land of Snow that Kisara had found herself to be claustrophobic when she couldn't see the typical expanse of sky found over tundra. Without a doubt, she had found herself to be truly, and deeply, homesick.

Her feelings had not been allowed to improve as her arrival had finally placed Kisara in the exact position she had never wanted to be: as Lord Matsuoka's future bride. Though the Lord had been most distant during the journey, the first few days after they had arrived in Cloud resulted in Kisara having been glued to his hip.

They had entered the Village around noon on the seventh day. They had paraded through the main street, all the while admiring the buildings all carved into the side of the mountain which harbored the town. Then finally, travel-worn and weary, they had arrived at Lord Matsuoka's manor.

Kisara had been permitted to exit her carriage with the aid of Yahiko, whom she had to admit was growing on her, only to be greeted by over a hundred servants, maids, butlers, and cooks. The sheer number of them had overwhelmed her as she was introduced to them, one-by-one, thanks to the Lord himself.

After addressing the household and presenting his fiancée, the Lord had spent the rest of the evening with her. This care and concern was not something she had expected from the Lord as he had simply treated her as a young girl, or as a valuable commodity up prior to their arrival in the Village. Each role had lacked a certain sense of intimacy and humanity one might expect from one's future husband. Therefore, his attention to her the evening of her arrival came as a total shock.

He had allowed her to change and wash from so many hours on the road but then insisted that they take a private dinner together. Well, as private as it could be with two sets of bodyguards present at the doors of the room. The dinner had been cordial, even pleasant. Kisara might have even enjoyed herself if she hadn't been so utterly exhausted by the journey. As such, she caught herself nodding over the pudding cups that served as the last course of the dinner. The Lord had smiled warmly at her after seeing her exhaustion and had graciously dismissed her.

Ironically, as soon as she had entered her new bedroom and chambers, separate from the Lord as was proper before their actual marriage, she had been wide awake and struck by a sense of panic. _I am now for all intents and purposes, the Lady Matsuoka._ She had thought as she fought down her panic. It was no good however, and she had found herself running to and christening her new toilet with what remained of the lovely dinner she had been served.

As she turned over these thoughts in her mind, it gave her anything but reprieve from her current situation of soon-to-be Lady of the House. Kisara's stomach had given another heave into the toilet, which did little to derail her train of thought. She had known what coming to Lord Matsuoka's estate would mean for her clan's future as well as the future of her village, but she had typically avoided thinking about her own future. That was until it had slapped her rudely in the face the moment she had arrived.

Panting, she had wiped her mouth with a flowery pink hand towel and slumped against the bathroom wall. After a few moments, she had to utter a hoarse laugh as she remembered only a week previously having similar feelings of anxiety at her going-away party. But she had stopped those thoughts immediately. It would not do to think of Kira or the Village, or of Yuri. It would not do at all.

Remembering the disastrous results of letting her mind wander as she did that first evening in the manor, Kisara gritted her teeth, forced her thoughts to snap back into the present and strode to the door of her room. She and the Lord had again dined together and finished dinner late. Yahiko had long since been dismissed. However, she knew that Hatsuharu would be sitting outside of the door, in the usual place. She opened the door to find him lounging against the door-frame, reading a tattered and worn book.

"What's up girlie?" He inquired without looking up from his book.

"Want to go for a walk?"

* * *

It was past midnight on the second, no third, day they were in the manor when Kisame and his young charge left to tour the grounds. And what expansive grounds they were. He was more than willing to go along with Kisara's request since it sure beat sitting outside of her door for hours on end as he was accustomed to doing. _Plus,_ he reasoned, _this little excursion gives me a chance to scope out the surrounding area._

Because Lord Matsuoka's holdings were on the outskirts of Kumogakure, it provided an excellent point to gather information which was exactly what Leader had planned when he accepted this mission. Indeed, Kisame knew that Itachi was not in his quarters sleeping, that in reality it was a simple shadow clone. The _real_ Itachi was out scouting to see the easiest way for them to achieve their objective in the mission.

Kisame found himself grinning involuntarily at the thought. Even though the mission itself was not particularly draining or tiring, he was feeling restless to be done. In short: Kisame was bored. To illustrate his inner feelings, he signed heavily. Kisara, who had been walking a few steps ahead of him turned to frown at him.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked accusingly.

"…What are you talking about?" He answered too slowly to be convincing.

She signed with a heaviness that matched Kisame, "It's both of you. First Yahiko is in a fantastic mood, much more content than he has been since I met him".

 _Of course he would be, he gets to do the fun stuff_ , Kisame thought lamely.

"And then there's you."

"Me?" He said suddenly defensive.

"Yes you. It's like someone stepped on a puppy in front of you. Since we arrived in Lightening you have done nothing but mope and sigh". As she said this she pointed one pale finger at his face, the other hand planted firmly on her hip.

Seeing her this way, reminded Kisame so heavily of a mother that he laughed aloud. "Girlie, you are too perceptive for your own good." He replied good-naturedly. "And you happen to be right" he stretched his long arms up to illustrate his next point, "Truth is, I'm bored. Watching you sleep just isn't my usual style".

Kisara lowered both of her hands and glared at Kisame. "Well, why didn't you say so? I'm dying to get out of these pretty clothes and get my hands on some steel".

 _I knew I liked this chick for a reason,_ he thought.

* * *

Itachi sneaked back into his room just before dawn. He had been out most of the night, ever since the Lord had dismissed him during dinner, scouting the area between the manor and Kumogakure. Like all of the Land of Lightening, the Village was surrounded by cliffs and mountain ranges. So high up were they that each morning a heavy mist clung to the mountains and terrain, giving cause to the idea that the Village actually _was_ hidden in the clouds.

Once he was safely back in his room, he dismissed his shadow clone which was giving a very convincing impression of him sleeping. He glanced around the room and then decided to head down for some breakfast before he relieved Kisame.

He made the winding trip through the hallways of the house, realizing the difference in comfort he felt when he compared it to the Big House they had left in Snow. Lord Matsuoka's main house was built in the Cloud style, carved into a larger mountain face, with expansive grounds surrounding it on three sides. Defensively, Itachi admired the architecture. Aesthetically, it was less than pleasing. Emotionally, there was nothing about it that reminded Itachi of the Uchiha's compound or of Konoha. Therefore, in two out of three categories, Itachi was overall much happier than he had been in Snow. And more in control of his emotions.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he entered the kitchen and had to stop and think about what he was seeing. It appeared to be Kisame and Kisara enjoying themselves over a breakfast at six in the morning, both of them dirty and sweaty. Kisame had changed his usual black pants and jacket for a looser training shirt and pants combination. Kisara had donned the training outfit when he had sparred with her back in her Village. Again, he was caught up by her striking figure and couldn't stifle the thought of, _she looks more beautiful in training clothes than kimonos._

Shaking his head slightly to rid himself of that true, but unhelpful, notion, he strode purposefully towards the pair as they munched on banana muffins.

Kisame who spotted him first hailed him with his usual, "Mornin' partner" though a mouth-full of bread.

"Good-morning Yahiko-san" said the more polite Kisara.

Itachi greeted them both in turn with an inclined head and took the vacant seat next to Kisara. Looking around at the spread, he saw something that he hadn't had in quite a long time: chocolate pumpkin bread. Self-consciously, he reached for a piece…then grabbed three before he realized what he was doing.

Hearing a chuckle, he looked up and glared at Kisame who was grinning at him knowingly. As long as they had been partners, it was becoming harder and harder to hide his inner self with someone as annoyingly perceptive as Kisame. It was true that Itachi favored sweet things. It was also true that he had a habit of eating the sweetest thing available when presented with a choice. It was also true that Kisame liked to tease him for it, one of the few things that accurately reflected Itachi's true age of nineteen.

To Itachi's right, Kisara was slowly taking everything in, so it should have been no surprise to the two men when she said, "Hatsuharu, stop teasing Yahiko" before calmly returning to her own breakfast plate. Which, Itachi couldn't help but notice, was filled with healthy choices like eggs and fruit, not a donut in sight.

At her words, Itachi felt a sensation that hadn't happened for years. _Am I—no I can't be…blushing?_ But he was. A light and very delicate blush bloomed on his cheekbones. He quickly leaned forward to eat his breakfast, hoping that his long hair would hide his expression.

No such luck.

"Was it cold in your room, Yahiko-san? Your face is red."

Itachi quickly stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth, chewing to avoid answering, but was saved by Kisame.

"Don't worry, Yahiko is like a furnace, he never gets cold." The shark-man said off-handedly.

This allowed the two to begin a conversation related to temperature as Kisame swore he had never been as cold as he was in Hidden Frost, and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. Not only had Kisame not picked up on his bodily reaction, Kisara hadn't seemed to pick up on Kisame's subtle hint that Itachi was a fire-element user.

He reached down for another piece of bread, this time taking a smaller bite. He listened here and there to the rest of the conversation, all the while analyzing his reaction. As he munched on the bread, he realized that it wasn't embarrassment that he had felt towards Kisara, it was gratitude.

* * *

Kisara headed back to her rooms with Yahiko trailing her steps instead of Hatsuharu. Hatsuharu had been relieved by Yahiko and had headed back to his rooms with a jaunty wave.

Attempting to stifle a yawn, and failing miserably, she was startled by Yahiko's statement of "You have been training."

"Oh! Yes, I think that both of us needed to blow off steam" She turned to grin at Yahiko.

Yahiko paused to consider this, "Like how you were at the Big House".

"Yes…exactly like that". She smiled at his understanding, and turned back to open the door to her rooms. Suddenly, Yahiko was in front of her, his hand over hers on the handle. Thrown-off by his sudden movement and his close proximity, she met his eyes with the unspoken question. He raised his right pointer finger to his lips asking her for to be quiet. She nodded and slowly removed her hand from under his and backed up a step.

Yahiko maneuvered himself between the door and her body and it was then she heard it: voices on the other side of her door. She slowly reached down to her weapons pouch and grabbed a kunai before lowering her center of gravity and assuming a defensive stance. Yahiko glanced back and nodded in approval of her preparations. The unspoken agreement that they would fight together if needed.

Preparing himself similarly, he wrenched open the door and rushed inside. Kisara followed close behind him but was immediately assaulted, not by weapons, but by various girly shrieks of fright. Confused, she lowered her kunai and spied three maids, all cowering around her half-unpacked trunks.

"Oh God what's happening?!" the first screeched.

"We are all going to die!" yelled the second.

"Loooord Matsuokaaaaaa, please help us!" Droned a third, the largest of all the three.

Kisara immediately stashed her own weapons and slowly approached the hysterical women in an effort to calm them. She glanced around for Yahiko to help her but saw that he was overwhelmed by the noise and was sitting on the bed blinking owlishly at the scene.

Exasperated both by their hysteria and from Yahiko's behavior, she stated loudly, "Now, now ladies, it's alright, Yahiko-san and I were just practicing." However, even her calm reasoning couldn't get through to the hysterical women. After two other attempts, Kisara was about to call it quits when a louder and deeper voice came from the doorway.

"My dears, what seems to be the trouble? I would hear the noise all the way from the study." Lord Matsuoka stated.

Like magic, all three of the maids stopped screaming at once and fixed their beady eyes on the Lord. Then like some horrible spell gone wrong, they, simultaneously, began sobbing their eyes out and rushed at Lord Matsuoka.

The Lord, to his credit, did his best to pat at them in an unattached way, though the maids clung to him with a familiarity that struck Kisara as odd. Then it hit her like a thunder strike. Lord Matsuoka supposedly had children, though Kisara did not meet any when she first came to the manor. The rumor was that he had them with the maids of his household. Kisara's mouth opened in disbelieve. _Are these the maids? And_ _he still has them in his employ? And they were unpacking_ my _belongings?_

By this time, Yahiko had joined Kisara's side and observed the scene in a more rational way than Kisara was capable of in that moment.

"My Lord, I was unaware that there would be people in Kisara-sama's rooms." He said in his usual toneless voice.

"Ahh, yes my apologies Yahiko-san. These three maids are to be the Lady's from this point forward." At this point, the three maids had dried their dramatic tears and had at least stepped a respectful distance away from the Lord.

"Please allow me to introduce them to you" He pointed to the first maid who had screamed. She was young and pretty, Kisara thought she had to be around nineteen, not much older than herself. She had red hair which was in odd contrast to her brown skin, and piercing yellow eyes. "This is Iya"

He gestured to the maid in the middle, older than Iya, perhaps around Kira's age. She was tall and handsome, sporting olive skin and dark hair. "This is Petra".

He pointed to the last maid, the largest of the three. She was beautiful. She was largely built, her body-type matching the Lord's. She was also the oldest, perhaps somewhere around her mid-thirties. She also had dark skin but sported the lighter hair that was common in Hidden Cloud. Her eyes were a light blue, the color of the sky after a light snowfall. "This is Rin".

"Kisara, these three ladies will be your maids from this point onwards. I understand that you shared a significant friendship with your clans-woman, Yuri, and my hope is that you will build similar bonds with these three. Please don't hesitate to ask them for anything you might need."

With the introductions complete, the Lord took his leave and headed back down to his study, shutting the door behind him. He left in his wake such a large amount of tension that Kisara was quite unsure what to do. Luckily, the drama concluded, the maids resumed their previous occupation of putting away all of Kisara's clothing and belongings, this time in complete silence.

Feeling extremely awkward, Kisara turned to Yahiko, as he was, ironically, the person she knew best in the room.

"Yahiko-san, would you like to accompany me to the library?"

"….of course".

* * *

Itachi was at a loss. He was of course aware that he didn't possess the most…developed social skills. He was also aware of the fact that in most situations they were not imperative to his survival. Assassins and mercenaries generally were not hired based on their abilities to get along well with others. Especially those they were hired to kill.

If he looked back on it, he had never really had very good social skills. He had been the quiet child. The child that the teacher called on in the academy when no one else could or would supply the answer. In fact one of the few people who knew him on an emotional level was Shisui. Itachi often comforted himself with the knowledge that if his long-dead friend could see him now, Shisui would still be able to see right through him.

All of these facts both contributed and exacerbated the fact that Itachi was at a loss for how to handle Kisara. Obviously the situation with her new maids had been awkward, even Itachi's limited sense of female emotion range could tell him that. But what he couldn't figure out was why Kisara was so obviously angry. As far as he could see, the situation had been odd but not at all a cause for anger.

Frowning, he cautiously observed Kisara from across the library. Since they had arrived at the manor grounds, Kisara had been busy with getting acclimated to the new environment. Even Itachi had not had much time to explore aside from the previous night's progress with scouting. As such, Itachi was most pleased and pleasantly surprised that the Lord kept a large, private collection of books both for professional and private use. The room itself was circular and set deep into the side of the mountain within which the entire estate was carved. Because of the odd shape of the room, someone clever had designed bookshelves which mimicked the curvature of the wall. The bookshelves themselves were over twelve feet in height, and not even Kisame could reach the top shelf.

They were seated in the center of the room which while clear of bookshelves, provided several excellent armchairs that the two occupied at that very moment. Even as Itachi observed Kisara, he grasped a rather interesting volume of the various cultural differences found in the Land of Lightening. Kisara herself was holding her own volume, a large thickly bound manual that Itachi could see was on the subject of medicinal plants. He could also see quite clearly that Kisara's eyes had not moved once in the last five minutes. If Itachi had his Sharingan activated, he might have been able to conclude that she was attempting to bore a whole through the page by willing chakra out through her eyeballs. As it was, he thought that she was simply so absorbed with her thoughts that she had tuned the rest of the world out.

Frowning slightly, he was about to return to his own volume when something else caught his eye. He noticed a small child peering into the library from the only door into and out of the room. The child, he noticed, was a boy. The boy was perhaps five years old and bore a striking resemblance to the Lord Matsuoka. _Perhaps the child is a nephew of some sort,_ he thought to himself. As he began to close his book, a sharp voice hang from down the hall.

"Kyo, Kyo! Where are you?"

"Here mama!" the boy replied to the disembodied voice.

At this disturbance, Kisara snapped out of her inner duel with the pages of her book and turned in her seat to see what all the noise was about. At that moment, the largest maid…Rin he thought the Lord had called her, stepped into the doorway and froze at the sight of them.

"Oh, Kisara-sama, please excuse my intrusion". She bowed lightly and picked up the little boy before she retreated back from where she had come. Itachi narrowed his already frowning face, perhaps he was overthinking it, but if the boy looked like the Lord, and the maid was her mother then—

"You knew about this." He said carefully to Kisara.

"…Knew about what?" She answered him casually back, too casually.

"You knew that the maids were the Lords…mistresses" he said the last word as if it offended him.

"Oh, that. Kira and I merely suspected that."

"Did you also know that the Lord had young children by these mistresses?" He asked as he raised one eyebrow.

"Ahh, we suspected that as well, but it was more of a guess." Kisara stated somewhat lamely as she twiddled her thumbs. Itachi noted that she didn't meet his eyes as she answered his last question.

"You knew they were living with him." Not a question

"Of course not!" Kisara jumped from her chair, then quickly lowered her voice to a hiss before continuing, "the fact that they are not only _living_ here, but that he assigned them to be my _maids?!_ I mean, how insulting is that? Like I wouldn't find out? Like I wouldn't mind because, I don't know, I'm about to be his wife?!" She hissed these words with venom that was certainly not lost on Itachi. Nor was the uncomfortable drop in Itachi's stomach at the word wife.

"Ah." He said and sat back in his chair, studying Kisara over clasped hands. "I suppose that explains it." He said in an offhanded way.

"…What?" Kisara asked sharply.

Itachi almost smiled. "I was wondering why you were so pissed."

"Why would it matter to you if I am pissed off or not?" She shot back, clearly still angry.

At this question Itachi paused. He took his time in formulating an answer as he slouched down in the chair and stretched out his legs to their full length. His answer, surprised him. Not just because it was true, but because he wanted Kisara to know that it was.

"…Because I would be…angered…as well."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy it! As always, I don't own Naruto. If I did, I bet I wouldn't have student loans!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Uncomfortable and Uncalled for

Kisara sat down on her bed in an effort to relieve the ache in her feet. Gingerly, she picked up her left one and began to slowly massage the aches and pains from the tender skin. It was ironic that her feet could take days in the tough sandals that field ninja wore, but a few hours in the high-heeled sandals destroyed both her balance and her composure. Not to mention, they killed her feet.

Earlier in the day, Lord Matsuoka and Kisara had paid a visit to the Raikage and his brother, B. Because Lord Matsuoka represented one of the main sources of income for Kumogakure, he was very highly regarded even for a civilian. It was true that the Lord had gone through the academy and did possess some of the basic skills needed for a ninja, but he had ceased his training after graduation and instead took over his family's merchant business. Kisara had the fortune to find all of this out by listening to her maids' idle chatter that morning when they were helping her dress.

Ever since she had seen the little boy, Kyo, several days before, the maids had kept out of her sight, except when actually fulfilling the duties of their station such as dressing her and—of course—gossip. It seemed at first that they were deliberately throwing their knowledge of Lord Matsuoka in Kisara's face, but she then realized that perhaps the maids simply didn't have anything else to talk about.

Kisara had found herself to be simply listening to them (they seemed not to notice she was there) and actually learned a few interesting things about her husband-to-be. She found him to be a challenging man to pin-point, and it seemed that she was not the only person who thought so. Yahiko had also appeared to be interested in the maids' chatter, more so than Kisara expected him to be, for he had often listened to then through the door. She could tell this was true as he would often ask her subtle questions pertaining to what they had newly learned about the Lord once she had emerged from dressing and went about her daily activities.

After the maids had dressed her to their satisfaction they bowed and left without a word. Kisara had exited her rooms and she made the journey to the Lord's study, Yahiko following her footsteps. Once at the large oaken door which protected the sanctuary within, she had knocked politely on its polished surface.

"Come in," came the muffled voice. Kisara had pushed the door inwards and watched it glide soundlessly open. She had stepped inside and for the first time found something in the architecture that she actually liked in the manor.

The study was adorned with panels of cherry wood, each section carved with intricate shapes and designs, polished until it gleamed in the light of the lamps which hung on mounts from the wall. The room itself was circular, very similar to the library where she and Yahiko had found their reprieve several times in the days since coming to the manor. As Kisara had stepped further inside, she spotted the Lord, walled away behind a stack of papers which were shoved unceremoniously on the scuffed surface.

The Lord had looked up as the two of them approached the desk, his watery brown eyes watching their progress lightly.

"Welcome, welcome, my dear, Yahiko-san" He had nodded to each of them in turn. "I am glad to see both of you are ready for an adventure this morning."

Kisara had frowned lightly at this. She was dressed in a fine kimono, a new pattern that had been provided by the Lord upon her arrival. Though she did not hold any emotional attachment to the outfit, she did not want to disrespect the gift by endangering it in any way.

The Lord, seeing her expression, had offered an explanation for his comment, "Don't fret, dear one. I only meant that the three of us will be going into Kumo today, I want to introduce my new bride to a friend of mine."

* * *

As it turned out, the Lord's 'friend' had been the Raikage, himself. At first, Itachi had been concerned about being recognized as he was a highly wanted missing-nin with a price on his head. He had been concerned that someone would start screaming at any moment, pointing with one hand, while pulling out a kunai with the other.

In reality, it seemed that the bingo book had given him a false impression that he would be in anyway recognizable to an enemy Shinobi. Without his trademark Akatsuki cloak and his Sharingan deactivated, Itachi looked like an average mercenary with no political or dangerous affiliation at all. Overall, the visit was most uneventful. He simply leaned against the wall with the other bodyguards and waited until Lord Matsuoka and Kisara were done visiting with the Raikage.

At least, that was what it appeared he was doing. While he was being the 'observant' bodyguard, Itachi had sent out a scouting crow to get the layout of the Village. It seemed that the manor was roughly three miles from the Village's main center. The Village itself was about two miles in diameter from that center point which also happened to be the Raikage's residence and office.

As it was, based on Kumogakure tradition, any Raikage was given the name 'A', while the bodyguard assigned to the Raikage was given the name 'B'. In this case, the current Raikage's teammate, and bodyguard, was also his adopted younger brother and consequently, the Jinchuuriki of the eight tails'. Most of the meeting had gone as expected, the usual pleasantries, until Killer Bee decided to 'crash the party', as he called it.

Itachi had been mostly focused on what his crow had been seeing when the main doors to his right flew open with a bang, and Killer Bee entered.

"Yo, bro, what's the time? Here I am busting a sick rhyme." The intruder had stated.

"Bee, you're late." The Raikage had said roughly, but fondly. "Lord Matsuoka is here to show off his new lady." The Raikage had been seated on a low chair across from a similar couch upon which Lord Matsuoka and Kisara were seated.

"Oh my Lord, what a surprise, please introduce me to your new bride." Bee had stated again, waltzing up to Kisara, bending over one delicate hand and kissing it.

Involuntarily, Itachi had clenched both of his fists and found that his eyes had narrowed at the Jinchuuriki in distaste. Abruptly, he had forced himself to relax, _what's the matter with me? She couldn't possibly be attracted to that strange person._ He had chosen, in that moment, not to ask himself why he cared _who_ she was attracted to.

He had observed that Kisara, herself, was very taken aback at B's actions. Her face had flushed a lovely rose color which Itachi found that he had quite liked against the pale of her hair. He then saw that she had withdrawn her hand and inched herself as far to the side, and away from Killer Bee, as she possibly could, much to his satisfaction.

"So nice to meet you Bee, Lord Matsuoka and Lord Raikage have told me so much about you." She had stated this pleasantly, all the while offering him a sincere but cautious smile.

Itachi, then been convinced that Kisara was more wary of Bee and the Raikage to be intrigued, had returned to his scouting duties which now included a perfect view of his mission's true objective: the eight tails. All other extraneous thoughts and concerns had been wiped from his mind.

Itachi had continued to listen as the conversation entered again into the realm of pleasantries when the Raikage, as blunt as he was clever, had asked the question that was apparently the pink elephant in the room. Itachi had not found it obvious because his focus had been on scouting, but it had become as obvious as the nose on his face when the Raikage had asked:

"When are you two tying the knot?"

At the sound of those words, the conversation had hit a noticeable pause, then like a train struggling to get up a hill, chugged forward when the Lord stated,

"Oh, I was thinking next month."

* * *

Kisame and Itachi chose to eat their dinner with Kisara before Itachi retired and Kisame took his night shift. Kisame noticed that Kisara was unusually silent, even her greeting was subdued, but he tactfully waited until the three had finished their dinner before asking. He instead made his move as the other two were taking long sips of their nightly cup of tea before asking,

"What's the matter girlie, Yahiko-san try to seduce you or something?"

"W-what?" She immediately turned red, much to Kisame's delight, sputtering her mouth-full of tea all over the table.

Itachi, though managing to swallow his tea painfully, declined to comment and instead shot eye-daggers in his direction. Perhaps Kisame hit a nerve?

"Kidding! Kidding, I couldn't help but notice you aren't your usual chipper self". He said, both hands raised defensively towards the two Shinobi.

"Oh, well, it's just that the Lord surprised me today by announcing to the Raikage that our wedding is to be next month. I was under the impression it would be at least two months to get things arranged."

Kisame's eye's narrowed at the small note of panic in the girl's voice.

"Ahh…well, you could always marry me instead." Kisame stated this so casually that Kisara simply blinked several times before she realized he was kidding.

"Ha! Thank you for the kind offer, but I think I would have to decline. What would all of your other suiters say?" She teased him.

He made his predatory grin, acknowledging the jib. "They would all sigh in defeat after having to acknowledge your supreme beauty."

With that eloquent compliment, Kisame rose from his seat, traveled the length of the table and kneeled in front of Kisara. Kneeling though, did little to diminish his towering height, as the top of Kisara's head barely grazed his chin. He delicately took Kisara's hand in his blue one and placed a chaste kiss on her soft skin.

Itachi, Kisame saw from the corner of his eye, had gone stiffer than usual at the sight of his action. _Interesting, I wonder…?_ And as his lips left the back of her hand, they suddenly transformed into a predatory smirk. He yanked Kisara abruptly forward, managed to grab her under the knees and made to carry her out of the kitchen in one swift motion, bridal style.

"Fear not my lovely lady! Your dashing bodyguard Hatsuharu will protect you!"

By this point, Kisara was both quite surprised by his action, and was also giggling madly at the change in her position. Kisame had almost made it out of the kitchen when a strained voice stopped him.

"…Hatsuharu." Laughing, Kisame turned his head so that he could see Itachi's face, but his broad shoulder still blocked Kisara's view.

Any laughter Kisame was about to omit died in his throat at the sign of Itachi's face and posture. If Kisame didn't know better, it appeared that Itachi…no…he couldn't be… _jealous?_ The great and terrible almost-sole-survivor of the Uchiha clan…was _jealous_ of Kisame's meaningless teasing and flirtation?

Any question of Itachi's emotions were confirmed when he swiftly passed Kisame, Kisara still in his arms, and turned down the hallway. The only words he uttered as he passed were a muttered, "I'm going to bed," as he stomped—yes stomped—down to his room, a slight pink tint defiantly visible on his cheeks.

Kisame watched him go, mouth hanging open in both surprise and unvoiced laughter. Kisara, who was still in his arms and blissfully unaware of the exchange looked up at him questioningly.

"Umm…Hatsuhar-san, you can put me down now?" She said, sleeve of her kimono over her mouth to aid in muffling her laughter.

"Oh! Yes, sorry m'lady." He smiled at her as he placed her gently on the floor.

"Thank you. Also, what's up with Yahiko-san? Is he upset or something?"

Kisame grinned, "In a manner of speaking. I suspect he got quite a shock today." _A shock realizing he has actual_ human _feelings for once._

"Oh! About the wedding being moved up. Well I hope you both know that wouldn't impact your paycheck, right?"

Kisame blinked at her, "Oh girlie, I know that," He then stopped speaking as his brain went into overdrive. "But you know what, I think you are right, I think Yahiko-san may _indeed_ be worried about the money. You know, I bet that if you go and let him know what you just told me, he would feel _much_ better." As he was saying this, he gently pushed Kisara towards the doorway and onto the path that Itachi had taken just moments before.

"Good idea, Hatsuhar-san! I will take care of it right away."

"Perfect, and afterwards I'll see you right outside of your room like usual. Oh, and girlie?"

She turned from her goal to place her piercing gaze on Kisame's face.

"…Just Haru is fine." He grinned sheepishly at her.

* * *

Itachi closed the latch of his bedroom door with a frustrated sigh. He closed his eyes for one brief moment, looking for something, anything, to drown out the internal playback of his most recent actions. After several seconds, he decided there was no help for it, and sat down heavily on his bed.

How could be have been so stupid to let Kisame's constant teasing get to him like that? To the point that he actually _stomped_ down to his room? Classic Kisame, to pick up on the one thing that Itachi had been trying to ignore since day one of the mission, was just terrific.

He allowed himself to lay his back on the bed, his feet still planted firmly on the floor, a position which he hoped, though unrealistically, would help ground him in logic instead of emotion. He breathed heavily for a moment, hoping to calm the erratic beating of his heart, something which had started the moment he saw Kisame's lips touch Kisara's hand. And as he thought it, was also an echo of the feeling he had when he saw B's lips do exactly the same thing earlier in the day.

At the thought he sat up again abruptly, the pink tinge of his skin spreading significantly. No, he couldn't allow this. He couldn't allow this to happen, it could jeopardize the mission! And then all of his plans, and Akatsuki's plans as well, they couldn't be ruined because he was mooning over some girl…no matter how badly _he_ wanted to be the one to kiss—

A sharp knock on his door dragged him most unceremoniously out of his bordering inappropriate thoughts. He quickly attempted to compose himself, a feat which fell spectacularly apart when he heard the voice that was attached to the knock say,

"Yahiko-san, are you there?"

Itachi cleared his throat nervously, "Yes, Kisara-sama, did you need something?"

"I was wondering if I could come in and talk to you for a moment."

Her question, though seemingly innocent, immediately irrupted into several unhelpful scenarios, each of which appeared to come out of the one time, _one time,_ Kakashi-sensei had convinced him to read Icha Icha Paradise. _So unhelpful!_

"…Yes, of course. Give me just a moment." He managed to choke out. He jerked around the room, mentally checking off that all of his belongings were stowed away and that the room was tidy. Not that he needed to, Itachi always kept his living space remarkably tidy. The room itself had been given to him when he and Kisame had arrived at Lord Matsuoka's estate. It was a simple room composed of a bed, desk and then one door leading off to a toilet and shower. It was meant to be a guest room and overall was significantly nicer than most accommodations Itachi had experienced in his odd life.

The real reason he had asked to stall for time was so that he could get his emotions back in check, and get through whatever his charge wanted to speak to him about in as calm a manner as possible.

Once he had done this to the best of his ability given the situation, he rose and walked to the door. He opened it to see Kisara a few steps away from the door, handling a detailed vase with marked interest.

"Kisara-sama?" He asked quietly.

She looked up at him, smiled, and gently placed the vase on the pedestal where it had been sitting. She walked the few steps to meet him at the door. "Can I come in for a moment?"

"Of course". He graciously stepped aside and allowed her to step across the threshold, and took a seat on the desk chair. Itachi followed her graceful steps, but passed her and sat down on the bed, the only other seating arrangement that was available.

"Yahiko-san, I am sorry to bother you during your off hours, I just wanted to make something clear since you left dinner so abruptly."

Itachi nodded, his chest filling with slight apprehension as the prospect that he had somehow caught on to his feelings. "You don't bother me." He said simply, and then inwardly winced at his comment.

Again, Kisara smiled at him, "Good, I just wanted to assure you that even with the wedding being moved up by one month, I am sure that Lord Matsuoka will still award you with the same pay. I don't have as much field experience as you or Haru, but I would assume that you would be getting paid for by the job, not for your time spent."

As Itachi listened to Kisara's explanation, he had to admit to himself that he really did intent to process everything she said. However, the second that her lips had uttered Kisame's code name, without honorifics, his chest tightened and his mind went blank. His fists clenched, and one corner of his month bent downwards into as close to a frown as he could muster in that moment. _He did this on purpose! He knows exactly how I feel and he did this to tease me!_

"…hiko-san…Yahiko-san!" Suddenly he felt warm and calloused hands on his own. He looked up to see Kisara's face, just inches from his own. Like a chain reaction, his entire body clenched. He felt his cheeks burn pink once more.

"Yahiko-san! Are you sick?" Her voice echoed through his reaction, and he forced himself to relax.

"I-I'm fine, thank you for your concern." He rose so fast that Kisara had to lean back suddenly in her chair in order to keep her balance.

"Are you sure? Your face is red, do you have a fever?" She followed his retreating back, and as he turned, she moved closer to his face in an attempt to feel his forehead. And just like that, Itachi did something that he hadn't done since he was a child: he made an impulsive decision.

He kissed her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Enjoy! I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Plot Thickens

Kisara's eyes went wide. Yahiko, her _bodyguard,_ Yahiko was kissing her. And not just any kiss, it was actually a really good kiss. Kisara had been kissed before. Sure, she had dated here and there in her village, but all of those boys had either been as experienced as her, or completely inexperienced. Yahiko on the other hand, appeared to have kissed lots of girls in the past, and Kisara bet they had enjoyed it as much as she was.

At first, she had been so surprised that she had become completely immobile, then, out of some feeling she couldn't quite place, she began to kiss him back. As his strong lips met hers and his even stronger arms wrapped themselves around her, she leaned into the kiss, uttering a soft moan as she did so. Yahiko seemed to not only hear the sound, but crave it as he did similar motions twice more that elicited a similar response from her.

The kiss went on for several more seconds before the reality of what they were doing hit her like a ton of bricks. _Shit! I'm making out with my bodyguard and I'm getting married to his boss!_ In her panic, she wrenched her head back, effectively breaking the kiss, and stared Yahiko in his midnight eyes.

Yahiko, to his credit, appeared to be as startled by his actions as she, and slowly unclenched his hands from the sleeves of her kimono. With every slow movement that he made, Kisara saw the emotion leaving both his face and the rest of his body, as though he lowered a blank mask to obscure his features.

"My deepest apologies for my actions, Kisara-sama. I believe that you are correct, and that I am feeling unwell. I ask that you please do me the honor of being permitted to rest so that I may regain my strength".

Kisara, eyes steered towards the floor, simply nodded her assent and turned to exit Yahiko's room, her face the color of the ripest tomato. She closed the door quietly behind her, waiting until she heard the tab snap into place inside the door-frame before she practically ran down the hall.

She made it all the way to her room before she stopped to catch her breath. She rounded the last corner of the hallway only to see a most unwelcome sight. Lord Matsuoka was standing outside of her door, holding a polite conversation with Haru. Kisara was about to duck back behind the wall when he spotted her.

"Ah! There you are my dear! My apologies for calling so late, I was hoping to have a word with you." He said all smiles and charm.

"O-of course my Lord, this time couldn't be better." _Couldn't be worse, actually,_ she thought hopelessly.

"Excellent! Then let us speak for a while in your room, I am confident that Hatsuharu-san would do us the honor of a few moments alone."

"Of course my Lord." Haru stated simply, though Kisara didn't miss his black eyes scanning her carefully as she passed by. They headed into her rooms and sat down next to the coffee table. Kisara sank gratefully into the cozy chair, hoping that her blood pressure had gone down and thus her face had resumed its normal hue.

"Well my dear, I wanted to say how sorry I am that we haven't spent all that much time together since we arrived at our home."

Clearly the Lord didn't notice anything amiss for he continued on, not really sparring Kisara a cursory glance. "I hope you are settling in alright. I have heard reports that you are getting along swimmingly with Iya, Petra and Rin. And of course we have much preparatory work to complete over the next month so I fear that we will see each other less and less." He stated this last part sadly, finally looking her in the eyes for the first time since he had entered the room.

"Oh, yes everything has been just fine." Kisara stated lamely, while knowing in reality it had been just the opposite. Having found out that the Lord possessed bastard heirs had been bad enough, but also finding out that the wedding would take place in only a month? That had come as a real shock to Kisara.

"In fact, I am looking forward to assisting in any way that I can with wedding preparations." She said, almost feeling bad for the lie.

"Oh course, of course. Well I won't keep you long my dear, I really just wanted to check-in with you and make sure you were settling in alright." He got up to leave the room, though paused to ask, "Also, how have the services of your bodyguards been fairing?"

As this was the last question that Kisara would have wanted him to ask, she stumbled on her answer, "J-just fine! I am more than happy with their services. I haven't felt unsafe at all!" She then got up hurriedly from her seat and yawned hugely. "My Lord, seeing as it is late, would you mind terribly if I retired for the evening?" She asked pointedly.

"Of course not, of course not. I won't keep you any longer my dear. Sweet dreams!" And out he went.

As soon as he closed the door, Kisara practically collapsed back into the chair, head on her hands. Thankfully, the Lord hadn't seemed to notice anything strange about her behavior, though one glance at the mirror in the bathroom told her that her face would make fair competition for a patch of strawberries at that point.

 _Great, Kisara, could this be any worse?_ She wondered to herself. Well, knowing her luck, it definitely could.

* * *

Morning dawned with little sleep for Kisara between her tossing and turning coupled with strange dears of Yahiko (like she needed that as much as a hole in the head). She made sure to get out of bed at least an hour before Haru and Yahiko would change guards. She wanted some time alone to think without Mr. Social and Mr. Antisocial breathing down her neck.

At first she paced her room, mulling over the thoughts in her head. If Yahiko had kissed her, and make no mistake, he had _definitely_ kissed her, then he must find her attractive. Always a dangerous feeling for a Shinobi. If Yahiko was starting to develop feelings for her, then it could jeopardize his mission, and consequently, her mission to marry Lord Matsuoka and therefore save her village.

She paced some more, socked feet making ruts in the plush carpet.

So that settled that, Yahiko was beginning to develop feelings for her, whatever those feelings may be, which was dangerous. Now, the only question was, how did Kisara feel? Regardless of the fact that she was betrothed to another man, Kisara had to admit that she found Yahiko to be attractive. She even found him to be kind and very intelligent. And if things had developed further last night, she would guess that she would find him to be sexually appealing as well.

She stopped suddenly, inches away from the wall, so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice her strides becoming larger and larger through her agitation.

If she was developing feelings, or at least becoming attracted to her bodyguard, that could cause a major problem for all involved.

Her pacing began again.

Now that she had determined the most likely cause for Yahiko's actions, she just had to decide what to do about it. She paused in her pacing when a small knock at the door brought her back to the present.

"Kisara-sama, are you awake?" Came the voice of the last person Kisara wished to see at that particular moment.

She cleared her throat carefully before she responded, "Yes, did you need something Yahiko-san?" _Must be very careful here,_ she thought to herself.

"I was wondering if you had a moment. If so, may I come in?" He asked in his enticing voice. _Enticing_?!

"Ah, no, not at the moment, right now is actually a bad time. I'm very busy with-" she looked around in a panic and said the first thing that she saw, "I'm right in the middle of writing a letter to my brother, yes, you will have to come back later."

"…mmm." Was the reluctant reply acknowledging her request and he made no move to argue.

Kisara, relieved that her white lie worked, sat down heavily on her carpet. At another knock upon her door, she raised her head with lightning speed and annoyance until one of her maids, Iya, stuck her head in, only slightly raising her eyebrows at Kisara's position on the floor.

"Oh, good, you are up M'lady. You must get dressed at once!"

"Any why is that Iya-san?"

"Why, today is your first fitting of your wedding dress. Didn't the Lord tell you? He made arrangements yesterday after visiting with Lord Raikage?" She said this last part while managing to imply her mistress's obvious stupidity while still remaining polite enough that Kisara could not retaliate.

"Ah, no, he didn't" She said with more bite than she intended, perhaps he had forgotten. _Yeah right,_ she thought viciously.

The maid caught onto her feelings of annoyance because she quickly withdrew her head and snapped the door shut. Kisara exhaled slowly, hoping, _hoping,_ that she would be able to keep calm through the day. Well, it definitely got worse.

* * *

She was definitely avoiding him, Itachi decided after much internal deliberation. The first clue was that morning when she had told Itachi that she was writing a letter to her brother (Itachi had personally watched her write several the day before, and he doubted she would write him again until several days later when she received his reply by messenger hawk).

The second clue was that since he had laid eyes on her that day, she had declined to do the same. Each question he directed towards her met with an answer, but her eyes had remained pointed stubbornly anywhere but him. This fact irritated him for a reason he wished not to acknowledge. To be truthful, Itachi rather liked looking in Kisara's eyes.

Those eyes in question were currently fixated on her own reflection as she tried on her tenth wedding dress for the day. Itachi was casually propped up against the wall of the dress shop as per his usual modus operandi whenever he accompanied Kisara out. The two had not come alone though to the dress shop, this time Kisame had been permitted to come along due to the Lord's request for additional security.

Kisame was propped up next to Itachi, and was engaging quite normally with their charge much to Itachi's mounting displeasure. After reviewing the events of the night before, Itachi was quite able to pick out the teasing and manipulation that Kisame had orchestrated in order to mess with him. As a result, Itachi had chosen not to converse with Kisame at all since then.

Kisame, totally aware of Itachi's silent treatment had chosen to highlight his delight by offering a variety of comments and recommendations to Kisara regarding each and every dress she had tried on.

"Oh that one is nice; it makes you look like you actually give a damn." He said vey cheerfully.

"What does that even mean, Haru?" Kisara said tolerantly back.

"It means that I like it girlie."

"Ha! Well, I suppose that's nice, but I'm not marrying you."

"True, you said the same thing last night, which is ultimately your loss you know."

"Of course." She giggled, her eyes never once resting on Itachi throughout the game.

 _Well, if this is what they mean when they say someone is playing hard-to-get, I think I get it._ He thought uncharitably. Shaking his head to rid himself of the troublesome thoughts he pushed himself off of the wall and strode over to Kisara who was clad in a simply unflattering array of silk and ribbon.

"Kisara-sama." He intoned when he was close enough.

"Ah, yes Yahiko-san?" Itachi narrowed his eyes as he saw that his simple choice to utter her name caused her to jump slightly.

"Are you finished picking out dresses? We have business to attend to and a schedule to keep." _Good, calm and dispassionate._

Kisara turned a slight shade of red at his question and turned to face him, meeting his eyes for the first time that day. When her green orbs met his black ones, it was his turn to jump slightly. They really were quite beautiful. So beautiful in fact that he almost missed the hurt in them.

"No, I'm not finished, Yahiko-san. This is an important decision, and honestly, those types of questions aren't helping."

Taken aback by her tone and response, he replied, "What is so important about it? It's simply a dress."

"Ouch." Kisame said behind him.

"Did you really just ask my why it's important to pick out my wedding dress?" Kisara's tone suggested to Itachi that it must be very important, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. It was just a dress after all, as he just said.

"Ah." He confirmed carefully, sensing some type of danger, but unsure of its source.

"Yahiko-san, this is my wedding dress." Kisara took a moment to breathe deeply, "It's a symbol of starting my new life with my husband, a man I _barely_ know," her voice increased slightly with every syllable, "And I have to pick it out, not with my mother who is dead, not with my best friend because she is back in my home village, but with two _men,_ only one of which is actually acting like he could give a shit," she was close to yelling now, "while the other is focused only on getting out of the dress shop and making sure we keep our schedule! So, yes, to me, it is a _very_ important decision."

Her last sentences slid out through clenched teeth, while her fists, equally clenched rested by her hips. Kisara turned abruptly away from Itachi to the shop assistant who truly did look terrified and asked for the next set of dresses.

Itachi, wisely choosing defeat returned to his spot up against the wall next to his partner.

"You know, for a long time I always assumed you were faking your social ineptitude, but if I needed anything to be truly convinced of it, you just gave it to me." Kisame said, seriousness dripping from every word.

Itachi, too irritated for words, resisted every opportunity he had of puncturing Kisame's lungs for the rest of the day

* * *

Kisara had returned to her rooms and promptly shut the door in both Yahiko and Hatsuharu's faces. They had purchased a dress, something that normally would have delighted her, and then, without keeping their other appointments, returned to the manor.

She had undressed quickly without the help of her maids and retired to bed though it was only six in the evening. She stayed there for the rest of the evening and through the night, not bothering to get up until the next morning. Each time her maids tried to rouse her she stated she was simply too tired from hunting for dresses. Simply too tired to rise for dinner. Too tired to chat with Haru. Too tired to face Yahiko.

As she lay in the bed, too tired to do anything but think, her thoughts raced from one thing to another. First to her situation, her impending marriage, her…experience…with Yahiko, then second to Yahiko and third…Yahiko. As she continued to think her mind drifted back to him no matter what she try to focus on. Even her old fallback, Ninjutsu, could not help her mind from betraying one terrifying thought: that she might have feelings for someone she could never marry.


	10. Chapter 10

**Woo! It's getting steamy in this one!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Mutual Attraction

As the next few weeks flew by in a whirl of wedding preparations and confused feelings. Kisara suddenly found herself staring the inevitable in the face: she would be married in less than a week. She was sitting with Lord Matsuoka, Yahiko once more in a shadowy corner of the room, when she came to this realization.

The trio were seated in the Lord's study, which was imposing as ever. The Lord was planted behind his desk, like an unmovable object, while Kisara sat before him, hands folded demurely in her lap. On the Lord's desk sat a bowl of tangerines, one of which he offered to Kisara wordlessly. She declined his offer, also wordlessly, and he placed it neatly back in the bowl. He then turned his full attention towards her.

"My dear, are the preparations coming along to your liking?" The Lord smiled at her, always causing the hair on the back of her neck to raise in response to his sticky sweetness.

"Just fine my Lord, I appreciate all of the time and dedication you have taken with everything, even the smaller things." She smiled back at him, the edges of her mouth protesting somewhat at the effort.

"Of course, of course, no expense should be spared for my new bride. I wanted to ensure that all the last-minute questions were answered. Oh! I almost forgot, I also called you in here today to ask you when you would be picking your new body guards." He said this last part so flippantly that at first Kisara didn't catch what he had said.

"When I would be…?" she repeated stupidly.

"Of course, Yahiko-san" He nodded in the direction of the shadowed corner, "And Hatsuharu-san's contract expires once we are wed and you will be protected by guards of my estate. If you would prefer, I could set up interviews with several excellent candidates this afternoon." He offered this information while his long fingers found a tangerine and began to peel it in quick efficient strips. With each one of the strips he discarded, Kisara felt too that the last of her sources of comfort were also being stripped away, laying her bare and vulnerable as she sat before him.

She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat, careful not to let her voice waver. "That would be lovely, my Lord."

"Excellent. I will arrange for the candidates to be presented to you before dinner. Please let me know your new choices by tomorrow morning." With that clear dismissal, Kisara rose, bowed slightly and then turned and exited the room.

She strode down the hallway, face as blank as she could hope to make it, Yahiko trailing silently behind her. Finally, she made her way to the gardens, the ones that she and Haru had explored in her first week at the estate and it was by far her favorite spot besides the library. She made her way through the maze of hedges, too aware of Yahiko's presence as she did so.

After several minutes of taking right and left turns in a seemingly haphazard fashion, she located what she had been seeking. A lonely bench, almost overgrown by the hedges around it. She strode towards it with purpose, and turned to face Yahiko.

"I apologize." She said thickly.

"…For what?" He asked, his brows flickering down momentarily in confusion.

"For this." And she walked right over to him and began to cry, quite earnestly into his chest.

At the first contact, she felt him tense, but was too distraught to do much of anything but cling to the black fabric of his shirt. She cried silently, tears running down her face only to absorb non-discriminatingly into both of their clothes. She did this for what seemed like an eternity, but could only be a few seconds when she felt a tentative Yahiko place his arms around her. He did so gently at first, as though he was afraid he would either break her, or cause her to react in anger at his touch. Then when he seemed to realize what she wanted, he did so tightly, holding her to his chest the way one would hold something precious. Like _she_ was something precious.

* * *

Itachi didn't know how long they had stood in the garden. It seemed like it could have been hours. He had held her as she cried so silently in his arms. He could feel at the same time both how fragile and how strong she was. This was a woman who was used to beating her enemies in combat on a regular basis, but here, in this arena, she seemed to be up against a foe who had successfully tied her in knots.

Itachi had known all along that their mission was at an end. He and Kisame had completed the information collection for the Eight Tails the week before. As far as their mission was concerned, they simply had to get Kisara to the wedding and they could return to the Akatsuki hideout with both good news and a solid plan to capture the tailed beast.

However, to hear so suddenly that Kisara had to replace both himself and Kisame, and then in turn to see such an uncharacteristic display of emotion from her…Itachi had to admit that the situation…displeased him.

Itachi also had to admit several other unsettling things throughout the experience. Such as the fact that he had enjoyed holding her in his arms, putting aside her obvious emotional distress. He had enjoyed the feel of her lithe form, pressed against his. He had enjoyed feeling that he was a source of comfort to her.

Lastly, he had to admit that as much as she reminded him of Shisui, he had never wanted to kiss his dear friend. In fact, he had never wanted to do anything with Shisui that he wanted to do with Kisara. No indeed, Kisara was clearly a different person than Shisui and he was beginning to not only see it plainly, but to desire her for her characteristics that were uniquely her own.

Finally, after Kisara was able to calm down enough that they could exit the garden, they returned to the manor. Kisara had asked him if she looked alright and he had responded, "You look lovely". Yes, it would appear that the situation was becoming decidedly complicated after all.

* * *

Kisame knew something wasn't the same when he changed shifts with Itachi later that night. He knew something had happened, and it wasn't Kisame's style to be out of the loop when it came to a mission.

"What did you do?" He asked Itachi bluntly once Kisara was safely behind her closed door.

Itachi tensed visibly before forcing his body and face into the blank neutral look he took when he was about to lie.

"Nothing."

"Bull shit, you did something."

"I told you, nothing." This time the response was defiantly irritated. The son-of-a-bitch had done something alright. Come to think of it, the girlie had been acting weird since he had asked her to call him Haru. He had thought that at first it had just been the stress of the wedding, or some girly shit like that, but now, seeing Itachi, all the pieces clicked.

"You fucked her, didn't you?" He deadpanned.

The effect of his statement was immediate. Suddenly, Kisame found himself pinned against the closest wall, red Sharingan eyes staring at him behind a cold and expressionless mask as the front of his shirt was fisted in one if Itachi's hands.

"Don't you _dare_ use such vulgar language when you speak of her." He hissed.

Kisame felt his blood run cold. They had been comfortable too long, he thought. He had almost forgotten how dangerous his partner could be. Almost. But Kisame had always excelled at gambling. So he rolled the dice.

"I'll use whatever language I want to use when I speak of our _mission_." He replied he replied with emphasis his fists clenched at his sides. "Have you forgotten why we are here? It wasn't so that you could go gallivanting around, sticking your dick into the first decent-looking chick you saw." He winced inwardly and sent a silent apology to Kisara. He knew of course that she wasn't like that, but he needed to make a point with his socially-inept partner.

Itachi stared at Kisame, and Kisame could swear that he could see the steam boil over in Itachi's head. He saw that slowly, so slowly, his partner's eyes began to shift into the Mangikyo Sharingan pattern. He tensed involuntarily. Surely Itachi wouldn't do that here. After all, the two were having their tussle right outside of Kisara's room. Anyone could walk down the hallway and see them and then they would all be 'fucked' so to speak.

Kisame waited a beat, then two, holding his breath and waiting for the Genjutsu to take effect. When nothing happened for about a minute, Itachi slowly changed his eyes back, first to the regular Sharingan, and then back to their usual black. Kisame watched, fascinated by the level of control that Itachi must have over his emotions. He retracted his hand from Kisame's shirt. He backed up a few steps, then turned away from him. His next sentence was muffled and Kisame almost didn't catch it.

"…It wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like?" Kisame asked this, truly interested. He had never seen Itachi attempt to explain his actions before.

"It was my fault. I kissed her."

"Is that all?" He asked this, skeptical, one eyebrow raised.

"I held her too."

"What are you, still in the academy? You mean you didn't even feel her up?"

Itachi turned around and frowned, well as much as Itachi ever frowned, at Kisame. "It didn't seem appropriate at the time to do so."

"Ha ha! Well, aren't you the gentleman. You won't do more than kiss her because it wouldn't seem appropriate, yet you still kiss a women who is not only engaged to be married, but who you are also being paid to protect. How noble." The sarcasm was dripping off of his tongue by the end of his statement.

"That would appear to be the case." Itachi stated shortly. Clearly he was getting frustrated by the conversation.

"Itachi…she can't come with us." Kisame said, this time real care coming into his voice.

"I…wouldn't want her to. She doesn't deserve that kind of life." Itachi's voice surprised Kisame. He was still facing away from the blue-skinned swordsman, but his voice for once didn't mask his feelings. His voice showed Kisame that what Itachi was feeling was truly painful. "I'm retiring for the night, see you in the morning." He stated this in a way that implied that this conversation would never be revisited and headed towards his room.

"Imagine that. You actually care about her, you idiot." Kisame said to no one before taking his usual place beside Kisara's door to await the dawn.

* * *

Kisara threw herself on her bed to try and avoid her racing thoughts, though wouldn't you know it, they somehow managed to catch up with her anyway. Of all days, this had been the hardest one she had spent in the company of Lord Matsuoka. Not only was she told that she would have to say goodbye to the only two people she actually _liked_ on the entire estate, she had been forced to pick their replacements in front of them!

Lord Matsuoka had been true to his word and had provided her with various suitable candidates for her bodyguards. She had tried at first to pay attention, but each one soon became a blur of muscle and blank face. And on top of it all she made a complete fool of herself in front of Yahiko.

Her face flushed scarlet at the memory. She had utterly disgraced herself by shoving herself in his arms and crying. Shinobi do not show emotion, what had she been thinking?

"I was thinking how good it felt when he kissed me." She sighed to herself.

She turned over, clutching one of her pillows against her chest. She had to shut her eyes against the images both from earlier in the day as well as the one with Yahiko in his room several weeks ago. She rolled over again, mortified. How could she be attracted to him? Sure he was very handsome and sure she had seen him fight and that was enough to get any girl trained in the ninja arts worth her salt to admire the swiftness of his movements, the subtle grace as he wielded a sword. But it was more than that.

For a long time the only two people that Kisara had felt close to where her brother and her dear Yuri. Then, when she had been feeling so adrift with the business of her arranged marriage, somehow Haru and Yahiko had stepped in and supported her when she had needed it most. Each had demonstrated not only affection for her, but also a protective edge that she had come to appreciate and knew she would sorely miss.

And then, there was something else entirely when it came to Yahiko. As her thoughts drifted to the mysterious raven-haired man, she felt a warmth curl around her belly in response. It was true, when she thought of Lord Matsuoka, the man she was supposed to marry, she felt nothing short of indifference and slight disgust whenever he spoke to her. But when she thought of Yahiko, she had an almost inescapable desire to throw herself at him once more, and in a _much_ different way than the way she had earlier.

She sat up quickly. _This is very dangerous, girl, you don't know anything about him,_ she thought to herself furiously. She must remember that her marriage wasn't just about her, it was about her entire village. They needed this alliance to pull through or everyone would be in danger of starving. She crushed the pillow to her chest with single-minded determination. It wouldn't do to fall in love, not with so much as stake. Pushing any and all thoughts of Yahiko firmly from her mind, she shoved herself under the covers and strongly urged herself to sleep. _Besides, he wouldn't be around much longer anyway._

* * *

Kisara awoke the next morning feeling much better. She had taken the time to sort out her priorities and nothing would stand in the way of her objective: ensuring her village's future. She had taken extra care dressing and getting ready because somehow she felt protected under her layers of silk. Protected from any feelings she may have towards other, _particular,_ shinobi.

She walked out of her room and immediately she saw how infantile her protection really was for she spied Yahiko. As their eyes locked, Kisara felt a shiver go down her spine which had absolutely nothing to do with fear.

"Good morning, Kisara-sama". Yahiko said after a few seconds, black eyes boring into her green ones.

"Good morning Yahiko-san." She said, quite transfixed by his gaze. _Dammit, keep it together! What is wrong with you, he looks exactly the same as yesterday, nothing has changed!_ She screamed at herself, and yet, it seemed as though something had changed.

It was something in his movements, no, his expression? Whatever the reason Kisara was beginning to get the impression that Yahiko was stalking her. That impression did nothing but grow through the entire day.

They began it just like any other, each sharing breakfast with the other in the kitchen, as Haru had retired several hours previously. She could sense Yahiko's eyes on her through the meal though she kept hers firmly locked on her blueberry scone.

She noticed it again as they took some time in the library, though she was trying her best to focus on her fascinating scroll detailing the history of Lightening county, she could feel his gaze burning holes into her clothes, though each time she looked up Yahiko seemed to be absorbed in whatever it was he was reading.

Finally, closer to lunchtime she made her way to Lord Matsuoka's study to inform him of her choices for her new bodyguards. She could feel Yahiko's eyes on her as she went through each and every candidate with the Lord, finally selecting two at random. Upon her selection, she couldn't help but notice that out of the corner of her eye she saw Yahiko frown slightly at her choices.

"Are these the ones you would like to select, my dear?" The Lord intoned.

"Yes, I thought they would be the most suitable." She replied truthfully. She had chosen the two guards at random because for some odd reason, Lord Matsuoka liked to hire his help with almost identical credentials. There really was almost nothing to tell them apart besides their names.

"Very well, your choice will be noted. Anything else you would like to discuss?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you had heard from any of the guests who will be arriving from my village." She asked hopefully.

"Yes indeed, here the full guest list of who will be attending. Please look it over carefully and let me know if I have forgotten to invite anyone." He handed over a new piece of scroll, each name carefully written in the Lord's legible hand.

"Thank you, my Lord." She bowed graciously then was stopped suddenly by his hand on her shoulder. She tensed in surprise, then forced herself to relax.

"Haven't I told you to call me Hajime?" He asked, smiling in his slightly unsettling way. He bend towards her and placed a light kiss on her cheek.

Kisara, in total shock as this was the first real sign of affection she had experienced from her fiancé, blushed scarlet and did her best to leave his presence in the most gracious way that she could. She waked out into the long hallway after making her goodbyes to the Lord, promising that she would indeed see him at dinner.

She stopped in the hallway, unsure of where to go next when Yahiko took a firm grip on her arm and dragged her into a joining hallway. Too bewildered to do anything but follow him, they strode along for several minutes before finally arriving at a door. Yahiko looked swiftly around and after confirming that they were alone, escorted her into the room beyond the door.

It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the lighting when she realized with a shock that they were in Yahiko's room. Upon this realization, Kisara found her face once more turning red.

"Yahiko-san, what are we doing in here?" She turned to face him, but was thrown off by the expression on his face. First of all, it was rare that Yahiko had a true expression, she was coming to realize that they were usually associated with strong emotions. It would appear that this time was no different.

In short, Yahiko looked angry, angrier than Kisara had ever seen him before. He looked at her with such intensity that she felt the need to scoot back towards the wall, anything she could do to promote space between the two of them. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a frown, his eyebrows were scrunched up in the middle.

When he didn't answer her question right away she said, "I think I should leave, you don't seem like yourself again." She said this, referring to that night a few weeks ago when he had stated almost the same thing. She made her way for the door when he again grasped her arm, gently this time.

She turned to look at him and again his eyes sent sparks down her spine. Instantly she felt her stomach muscles tighten and her pulse quicken. What was it about his eyes? They seemed to hold the power to melt metal, and Kisara was nowhere near as sturdy. Slowly, he detached his hand from her arm and instead braced both of them on either side of her head.

"Yahiko-san, what are you doing?" She asked, more anticipation and confusion than fear present in her voice.

"This." He said simply, as he placed his lips upon hers.

As electrifying as his gaze was, his kiss was simply liquefying. Kisara had to brace herself against the wall as his body moved closer to fill in the gap. His hands moved from their position on the wall to place themselves firmly behind her head and on the small of her back. He crushed Kisara to his chest, all the while, his mouth moving expertly on her own. She could taste him, a delicious and spicy flavor which reminded her of something she had never tasted but knew it would quickly become her favorite food.

Lost as she was in the moment she couldn't hear herself screaming to stop, that this man would never be her husband and that he would be gone in a few days. As their kiss deepened, Kisara finally gave in to what her body had been warning her about the entire day. Yahiko-san had been stalking her, like a lion hunting down a sleek gazelle. And he had made his kill. Kisara finally put aside that annoying voice in her head and gave herself over to the moment, and to Yahiko. She pushed back into his chest, her own hands clutching at his arms, sliding over the tough and ropy muscles she felt beneath his shirt.

Yahiko grunted in surprise, but immediately took her actions in stride. Slowly, he worked his way down her elaborate kimono, tugging suggestively at certain areas. When he found no resistance from her, he deftly untied her obi with his right hand, left one still keeping a firm hold on her lower back. Once he had succeeded in untying it, he peeled off the top layers of her dress, and this time Kisara had no feelings of vulnerability.

To her credit, she made sure he got as good as he gave. She hooked her fingers on the hem of his shirt, dragging her fingernails lightly over his toned stomach, teasing them slightly under the band of his pants. Yahiko shuddered at her touch, moaning lowly in his throat in a way that told Kisara that he liked it.

By this time Yahiko had succeeded in removing all of the layers of her kimono except one, her inner-most shift. This item was made of light cotton, lighter than the rest, and settled on her body softly, clinging to all the right places. Yahiko placed on hand on her neck, massaging and kneading his way down her shoulder and upper arm, taking her shift with him as he went.

Breaking the kiss only once during this time, Kisara succeeded in getting his shirt over his head. Both of their upper bodies unclothed, they continued together, skin touching only other skin. Kisara's heart was beating wildly by this point, her stomach clenching and unclenching in anticipation of where this would lead.

"Yahiko-san, do you have any bandages?" came a totally unexpected voice followed by a very loud knock on the door.

Both Kisara and Yahiko started badly at the interruption, causing Kisara's head to knock painfully against the wall.

"Oy, Yahiko-san? Are you in here?"

"Yes, what do you need?" Itachi said crisply, while ensuring Kisara's head was alright.

"Bandages, I cut myself slightly when I was training just now. Is Kisara-sama with you?"

Yahiko looked swiftly down at Kisara at this question, a not-quite panicked look on his face. His expression clearly asked, _what should I say?_

Kisara lightly shook her head and mouthed, _I'm in the library._

"No, she wanted to get another book from the library, she was going to meet me outside in a few minutes to take a walk."

"Okay, but do you have any bandages?" Haru's voice wined, clearly he was in pain.

"No, check the kitchen." Yahiko deadpanned, resuming his usual composed manner at this point in the conversation.

"Fine, see you later." Came Haru's voice, his footsteps clearly audible as he trudged to the kitchen.

Yahiko, satisfied that the intruder was gone, turned back to Kisara. But rather than return to their activity, he merely watched her. Disconcerted by his gaze, Kisara looked back, unsure of what else to do.

"Yahiko…what is this we are doing? What do you want from me?" she asked him, real despair in her voice, and for the first time, dropping all pretense of formality. "I'm getting married in less than a week and after that I don't think I'll be seeing you again." As she spoke, she realized the foolishness of the situation and bent to pick up the discarded layers of her kimono. She pulled her shift tighter around herself, blocking more of her skin from view. She paused to hear him reply,

"I don't know."

"You don't know what you are doing, or you don't know if I'll see you again?"

"Neither. Both." He shrugged almost helplessly.

"I think you had better figure it out. We can't do this again." She said this softly as she fixed the rest of her outfit and headed out the door, leaving Yahiko quite alone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Please review!**

* * *

Chapter 11: The Night Before

Kisara breathed deeply then let it all out in one big exhale. Finally, the day was almost here, she would be married to Lord Matsuoka by this time tomorrow. She sighed once more to herself. Since the incident in his room, Kisara and Yahiko had barely spoken. They had done so only when necessary and Kisara could still feel his eyes on her, even now as she prepared for the rehearsal dinner though she was alone in her room.

She knew he was outside, waiting for her to finish dressing. They would go down to the main hall from there and await her brother who would be arriving soon. She had to admit, as uncomfortable as everything was, she _really_ wanted to see Kira. She wanted to hug him and cry to him like when she was a little girl and he would hug her and grin like any big brother would. She knew that when Kira was with her, everything was alright.

Steeling herself, she finished the last touches on her kimono. This one was of silver silk, the under robes a light blue cotton in honor of her clan and the icy land they called their home. She exited her rooms, glancing momentarily to her left but then stepping forward, knowing of course that Yahiko would be falling into step behind her. She avoided looking at his face.

The two walked in silence, an awkward silence at least for Kisara, down the hallway and down the stairs. At the bottom she could see Lord Matsuoka, chatting lightly with some other expensively robed nobles. He paused in his conversation to smile up at her, presumably an innocent gesture, but it still made her uncomfortable.

She swallowed heavily and joined the party. She was offered a glass of a bubbly beverage she had never tried before and began sipping it rather fast, finding it both delicious and alcoholic. She quickly drained her first glass and was immediately offered a second by a passing servant.

Yahiko who had been behind her and to the left during her first glass leaned slightly forward and said, "Kisara-sama, you need to slow down."

Kisara started badly, almost spilling her nearly-full second glass on the floor. She had been so preoccupied with her own feelings she had somehow forgotten Yahiko was there. "I can take care of myself, thanks." She said icily and without looking at him.

She only heard a low and exasperated sign in response.

As agitated as she was, she did heed Yahiko's advice and sipped her second drink slower. Luckily there were also little trays of appetizers floating around and she took care to eat a few, barely tasting what must have been delicious favors as a result of her nerves.

The party continued for several minutes, she lingered by Lord Matsuoka's side, unsure what to do or who to talk to. Though this was supposed to be their rehearsal dinner, Kisara found she didn't know anyone who was invited aside from the Raikage, whom she had only met the one time.

She fiddled with the bracelet on her left hand, feeing more and more uncomfortable by the minute when finally it was announced that the representatives from the Land of Snow had arrived. Kisara found that she was so happy in that moment that almost all of her other feelings vanished.

Through the large double-doors walked Kira along with several other members of the Yukidurama household, including…Yuri! Kisara had to force herself not to cry in front of everyone, but she walked up to her family, the members of her clan, and felt immediately at home.

"Hey there little sis." Kira said, an almost sly grin crossing his handsome features. He crinkled his blue eyes at her, an expression she knew he made when he was excited about something. "You don't look terrible in that kimono." He teased.

She grinned at him and didn't even bother throwing a comeback his way.

"My Lord Yukikage, welcome to my humble home." Lord Matsuoka interrupted their playful banter.

"Thank you so much for hosting this much anticipated and happy event, Lord Matsuoka." Kira stated, suddenly all business and charm. He bowed slightly to the Lord.

"It had been my pleasure having my betrothed here, she has been nothing but a delight. But of course you must know that. For now, I expect you are much fatigued by your journey, please, enjoy yourself and relax." He smiled his overly-friendly smile and returned to mingling with his guests.

By this time the party was in full swing and most of the guests were awaiting their dinner with anticipation. When it was finally announced, everyone filed into the dining area and took their seats. Lord Matsuoka sat at the head of the table, Kisara seated at his right, the Raikage seated on his left, and Kira sat on the other side of Kisara. Kisara glanced around and spied Yahiko leaning against the wall behind her, Haru having joined him, propping up the wall adjacent to him as usual. Haru caught her eye and grinned at her, a smile she was more than happy to return. She turned around, not sparing a glance for Yahiko. _He is a distraction I can't afford to have,_ she told herself firmly.

The dinner continued and concluded without a hitch, each guest expressing satisfaction with their meal and company. For Kisara, she couldn't wait for it to be over, she was hoping for a much needed conversation with her brother and with Yuri. She sensed that they too, wished to speak to her alone. As soon as dessert was concluded and whisked away, the Lord stood up to address his party.

"Dear friends and guests, thank you so much for your support on the eve of the happiest day of my life" he paused to smile down at Kisara before continuing, "I trust that you have enjoyed our delicious meal, and now I ask for all of the guests to retire and allow us all to get some much needed rest for our continued celebration tomorrow."

The guests murmured their congratulations and thanks for the meal as they filed out. Once they exited the dining room, only Kisara, Yuri, Kira, Lord Matsuoka, the Raikage and both of her bodyguards remained.

"My dear, I trust you must be very tired." The Lord said in a kindly way, "please retire yourself and I will see you in the morrow." He smiled at her, effectively churning the duck and roast lamb that, up until that moment, had been laying deliciously in her stomach.

"Yes my Lord, see you tomorrow." She inclined her head towards the Lord. "May I ask to have Yuri and Lord Yukikage accompany me?"

The Lord looked slightly taken aback at her request. "My apologies, my dear. I was expecting the Lord Yukikage to accompany myself and the Lord Raikage to my study for a nightcap."

"Oh, yes, of course." Kisara said, suddenly disappointed. With that clear dismissal, and with nothing to use as her defense other than her brother's shrug and his whisper of the word 'later', she and Yuri climbed the stairs back to her room, Yahiko and Haru trailing along as usual.

"Good to see you again, Yuri-chan." Haru cooed at Yuri, little hearts practically swimming above his head.

Yuri dimpled at Haru, "You as well, how are you, Haru-san?"

"Never better, Kisara-sama's been a pain in the ass, but—" He was interrupted by Yahiko swiftly elbowing him in the ribs.

"My apologies Yuri-san, please forgive my colleague, he likes to joke now and again as I am sure you remember." Yahiko responded, mild annoyance clear in his dry tone.

"Of course, Yahiko-san, no offence was taken." Yuri said, both hands raised in order to calm the situation.

"Well gang, here we are. I suppose it's time the two men left you to your marry-making." Haru said, having recovered from the vicious jab to his abdomen.

"Oh, right, will you two be…?" Kisara asked.

"Right here." Haru finished, "All. Night. Long." He waggled his eyebrows as the ladies both of whom giggled.

Kisara turned to Yahiko, the same question in her eyes.

"And I'll be in my quarters, if you find you should need my assistance with anything." His deep black eyes burrowed into hers, all at the same time saying everything, and nothing to her.

"See you tomorrow, then." Kisara said softly, and together she and Yuri stepped across the threshold to her room.

* * *

"So wait, you _kissed_ him?" Yuri asked, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Yes…" Kisara said, face hidden behind her pillow in embarrassment.

"Well, I don't blame you, he is seriously hot. He has that tough-guy-waif-thing about him."

"The 'what-thing'?" She asked, peeking out from the padded surface.

"You know, someone who you know can take care of himself, and you if it came to it, but at the same time has a dark past or something. Like _he's_ the one who really needs to be taken care of. You know? Super hot." After making her point, she reached for her glass of wine, her third of the evening so far.

"Huh, now that you say that, I wonder how true that really is. I mean, the guy never smiles or anything. But I will tell you, the kiss was _amazing._ " She signed.

"Kisa-chan, I am happy that you got to make out with such a hot guy, but don't forget." Yuki warned.

"I know, I know. My duty." Kisara sighed. Also reaching for her glass of wine, this one her fourth.

The Lord had gifted Kisara with an early wedding gift, three bottles of sweet wine and various snacks to munch on and share. She had to admit that she was touched. Maybe the Lord wouldn't be so bad after all. I mean, he did manage to think of things that made her happy, at least on an intrinsic level.

She fingered her glass for a few minutes, unsure of what to say next. She always liked the silences she could have with Yuri. They were never awkward or uncomfortable. She could just be herself. She didn't have to worry about politics or any double meanings. She sighed with bliss. She didn't realize how much she had missed this.

"Do you think Haru-san is seeing anyone?" Yuri broke the silence a little too innocently for Kisara not to catch on.

"You _like_ him, don't you?" Kisara said, disbelief in her voice.

"So what? Don't judge me because you like your waif-man." She said, slightly embarrassed that Kisara had discovered her secret.

"I would never! And don't call Yahiko-san a waif-man." Kisara laughed, inwardly concerned that if Yahiko ever heard that nickname she wasn't sure what he would do.

The two giggled together for some time before finally falling asleep, on one hand dreaming of possibilities on the other trying not to think too hard about the future.

* * *

Itachi paced around his room, having finished packing his meager supply of belongings that he had brought with him on this mission, he was restless. Tomorrow, shortly after the ceremony, he and Kisame would be on their way back to Hidden Rain with their reward in hand and the information they had collected on the Eight Tails safely in their heads.

All-in-all, it had been a successful mission, one carried our flawlessly, well, almost anyway. Even so, Itachi could not bring himself to think of Kisara as a flaw. If anything she had been the best reward he could have asked for. Something far more valuable than money, though he was sure that if Kakuzu was here he would have something to say about that.

Itachi continued his pacing, convinced by this point that he would be up until dawn, when a brief knock at his door made him pause. For one wild moment he hoped it was Kisara, but he then immediately dismissed the thought, stupid of him to think that.

"Yes?"

"Yahiko-san, Lord Matsuoka has requested your presence." A servant's voice answered.

Frowning almost imperceptibly, he opened the door and followed the servant, an adolescent boy who couldn't have been older than Sasuke, down the hall to the Lord's study.

Itachi knocked on the Lord's door and received permission to enter after hearing Matsuoka's muffled reply. He expected that the Lord would be alone, and he was not disappointed. It seemed that both of the Kage's had retired in preparation for the ceremony. The Lord himself was seated behind his desk just like every other time Itachi had entered the room. However, he had only ever been here once before without Kisara, and that had been when he had looked around for information about the Eight Tails. He had been in the room without the Lord then of course as well, but he of course wasn't to know that.

"Ah, Yahiko-san, thank you for meeting with me so late. I hope I didn't wake you?"

"Not at all Matsuoka-sama. I was merely preparing for the return journey tomorrow."

"Of course, of course. I would imagine you traveled far to get here?" It was a loaded question.

Itachi chose not to respond, sending a wordless message to the Lord not to pry.

Lord Matsuoka took the hint and continued, "I wonder if you would be interested in an additional…assignment?"

Itachi blinked. "Would it require additional time?" Part of him hoped that would be the case.

"Not much time, no. In fact, it could be accomplished within the day tomorrow." He replied offhandedly. "Of course, you and Hatsuharu-san would be compensated for your extra efforts." He concluded.

"…What is the assignment?"

* * *

Kisame sat in front of Kisara's room in his usual spot. About an about an hour ago he was entertained by the sound of gleeful laughter coming through the wall, but he was pretty sure that Kisara and her lovely friend had long since fallen asleep. He whistled softly to himself to pass the time, unconsciously savoring each moment as this was officially his last night on guard duty.

He looked up suddenly, not because he heard a noise of anything, but because he felt something. Unsurprised, he found Itachi standing in front of him. Thankfully the two had been working together for so long that this action no longer surprised him otherwise he was pretty sure he would have jumped three feet in the air.

"Yahiko-san, fancy seeing you here this late. I would have thought that you would have been asleep." He grinned.

"Kisame." That one word was enough to trigger alarm bells in his head. Itachi hadn't used Kisame's real name since they arrived in Hidden Frost several weeks ago. The fact that he had used it now wasn't very reassuring.

"Itachi." He answered, the question though unspoken rang out clearly in the hallway.

"We have a problem."


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, getting into some more interesting stuff! Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 12: The Wedding

Kisame stood awkwardly at his usual post by Kisara's door. It wasn't the standing part that was awkward, though he had been used to sitting in that exact spot for the last several weeks. No, actually it was what he was wearing that made it so. The Lord Matsuoka had insisted that both he and Itachi wear suits for the occasion, and Kisame's made his skin crawl. But then again, maybe that was mostly the current situation they were in.

He heaved a massive sign, and perked his ears up to listen to any signs that Kisara and Yuri would be exiting the chamber soon. He glanced towards the windows and noted that the sun was in position at high-noon. The wedding ceremony itself was scheduled to take place in two hours. Both he and Itachi had been ready since before breakfast and finally the Uchiha had become so restless that he had gone to take a walk. Very unlike him, Kisame couldn't help but observe.

Kisame didn't blame him. The entire situation was worse than having to wear his stupid suit. In fact, he would take wearing this suit for the next year over his current reality. He shifted uneasily and winced at the memory of last night's conversation.

* * *

"…He wants us to kill Kisara after they are officially married?" Kisame had asked blankly.

Itachi had nodded in response. "Like I said, we have a problem."

"I suppose that's a nice way of putting the cold-blooded murder of an innocent girl." Kisame had replied dryly, "But why?"

The Uchiha mastermind had given him a look that suggested that Kisame had lost a few brain cells since they had last spoken. "Isn't it obvious?" He had asked the question back to Kisame, but ended up answering it himself. "The Lord Matsuoka wishes to simply take Kisara's property and the cemented alliance with Shimogakure without having the burden of having a wife."

Kisame mused around that answer. Sure, Lord Matsuoka wasn't without female admirers, but still Kisara was still someone any man would be lucky to have at his side. Maybe he thought she was a wild card, too young, too powerful to actually be able to keep under his control. And that point had fueled Kisame's next question.

"Well, I guess, but why does he want us to do it? I mean, he must know that she is a pretty powerful Kunoichi. What if we wouldn't be able to complete the job?"

Itachi had given him a glancing look and then shifted in an uncomfortable way.

"Don't tell me he knows who we are?" Irritation ran through Kisame as he interpreted Itachi's body language. He really hadn't needed to hear that he could have been carrying around Samehada this entire time. "How did he find out?"

Itachi had merely shrugged. "I suspect he had some idea when he hired us, careful as we were to remain hidden. Each of us is a well-known S-class criminal. And one of us has blue skin." He had said that last one just to annoy Kisame. "If Akatsuki takes the job, there will be little ties to him; he could fain ignorance of our identities, claim I had used my Sharingan on him." He shrugged again, showing Kisame just how agitated he was. "Either way it would be more money for Akatsuki, in his eyes there would be little downside for either of us. We are a safe bet."

"I guess. But why didn't you just kill him?" Kisame asked logically. "I mean, it would solve multiple problems and we could leave this boring place."

Itachi had almost rolled his eyes. "If I did that, it would make everything we worked for crash down around our ears. The Raikage would be made aware of our existence and we would have made enemies of not just Hidden Cloud but also Hidden Frost for destroying their only means to feed their own people through the alliance…even if no one linked us to his death, just who do you think would take the blame?"

It took Kisame a minute to catch onto Itachi's train of thought. "Oh, you mean that if we killed him, the Kages would automatically suspect Kisara."

Itachi had nodded and continued on to the next point. "She would be the most logical suspect since everyone knows this is more of a business contract than a marriage. They would suspect that she had rebelled or attempted to sabotage the deal so that her Village could still thrive but that she wouldn't have to marry the old man." His eyes had glinted red at his mention of the Lord.

Kisame had only grunted in response. This certainly was a pickle. One of the two main goals of the mission was to gather intelligence on the Eight Tails and Hidden Cloud unseen and unsuspected. So far it had looked as if they had done so, with the exception of Lord Matsuoka, and if they did indeed go through with the request, they certainly wouldn't be unseen or unsuspected.

"What if we refused?" Kisame had asked suspiciously.

"We could, but I suspect the Lord thinks he has our hands tied. If we refuse he hinted that he could expose our true affiliation to the Kage's before we would even clear the Land of Lightning."

"I see. The Lord thinks he has us right where he wants us…What did you end up deciding?"

Itachi's mouth had curled up on the left side into the kind of smile that made Kisame's stomach churn.

"I decided that two can play at his game."

* * *

Kisame exhaled again. Even though he ultimately trusted Itachi, his partner's plan had made him wary. It was uncharacteristic of the Uchiha to be that reckless, but Kisame had to admit that if they could pull the plan off, it really would be spectacular.

His thoughts were pulled back to the present when he heard the sound of girly voices and light footsteps behind the door. He had a split second to stand at attention before the door opened and out came two of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. He stared for a moment before he cracked a shark-toothed grin.

"Kisara-sama, you do look lovely." He said, using her formal title in front of Yuri. And indeed she did. Kisara was dressed in a white dress that looked like it was made of tiny flowers. Each one was a bit different, but together they seemed to move and turn with her, creating a bright and clean picture of the bride on her wedding day. Her silver hair was piled onto her head in an elegant bun, something Kisame was sure he would never be able to figure out, and her skin and eyes seemed to sparkle. For a moment, Kisame caught himself feeling quite sad. Too bad the day wouldn't turn out with a happy ending.

"Thank you Haru-kun." Kisara beamed at him.

"Thank you Hatsuharu-san." Was Yuri's quiet reply, her pale cheeks blushing slightly as his eyes swept over her, also taking in the petit figure in her green kimono.

Kisame grinned even wider. It was too bad really, that they had to be going so soon. He would have liked to get to know that little snow girl a bit more. His mind wandered into even more dangerous topics at that thought when Kisara's next question brought him once more to reality.

"Where's Yahiko-san?" She asked, too strained for Kisame not to notice.

"Oh, he just went to go for a walk. I'm sure we will meet him on our way down. Shall we?" He offered his scratchy-suit arm for her to take, giving her the opportunity to change the subject.

"Yes, let's." Her reply was strained; he thought she must be nervous. _Well_ , he thought _, at least that makes more than just me_. Though Kisame suspected their mutual feelings were for vastly different reasons, and they continued forward.

* * *

Itachi had taken his leave of Kisame for about twenty minutes to calm his mind. He had been up all night running through different scenarios, testing and re-testing to ensure he could pick the one most inclined towards success. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, he had settled on one and had quickly worked through the details with Kisame, his voice barely above a whisper.

At first Kisame was reluctant, and Itachi acknowledged the reason. The plan had too many 'ifs', something that was unusual for Itachi. However, he was also reasonably sure he knew the players and could predict their movements. As always, he was ten steps ahead of his opponent. If he could play the game right and win, he could ensure the least amount of casualties for the most amount of payoff.

After his twenty minute reprieve was up, he returned to the manor just in time to catch a sight that made his heart leap into his throat. Heading down the main stairs was none other than Kisame escorting Kisara. Except, it was perhaps the most beautiful that Itachi had ever seen her. She seemed to float down the steps, feet covered in little lace slippers. The air around her seemed to take on a frosty aura, not cold or frigid, but like the first glimpse of the landscape after a quiet winter snow. As much as the thought would have at any other time made Itachi role his eyes, she _really_ did look like a snow princess.

 _And this is all for someone who isn't you._ The cruel voice in the back of his mind said. The thought made his heart clench. _That's right,_ he thought tiredly to himself, _she can never be for me. We can never be together. Today will make sure of that._ Using a massive amount of willpower that came from years of suppressing his emotions in favor of logic, Itachi once again raised his own frosted mask, effectively cutting off any chance that his plan could fail. For as much as everyone else could be unpredictable, Itachi had found that where Kisara was concerned, his own feelings were truly the only wildcard.

He stepped forward to meet the rest of the so-called "bridal" party.

* * *

Kisara's heart was racing. Not from happiness, or even wedding-day jitters. She was anxious to get this day over with. It had been long in coming, all the way from the betrothal, through all the preparations and all the apprehension from her side. She really wanted, more than anything, to just be done with it all. She even managed to fool herself when she was getting ready with Yuri and all three of her maids that she could be happy being married to Lord Matsuoka that it wouldn't be as bad as she feared it would be. But all of those foolish lies she had told herself eroded the moment that she saw Yahiko.

She descended the steps linked arm-and-arm with Haru, Yuri trailing not far behind. Her beautiful dress, the one she had picked out herself, billowed out with her knees. Her green eyes snapped up and she had to stop herself from blurting out what she most wanted to say to him: _you look wonderful._ For he truly did, his long hair was neatly combed and tied back at the nap of his neck. He was dressed in a sleek black suit which matched Haru's. But honestly Kisara didn't think anyone could possibly look better in it than he did.

As she was appraising him, his dark eyes met hers and her breath was quite literally taken away, and in that moment she became both deliriously happy, but incredibly sad at the same time. Happy for the simple fact that she wished with all her might that it was Yahiko she was meeting at the end of the aisle, but crushingly sad for exactly the same reason: they could never be together.

Kisara's mind flashed to all the little things. The stolen kisses, heated passion, but also the incredible kindness he had displayed to her over the last few weeks. It was obvious that Yahiko was a very lonely person, and while it was true that Kisara hardly knew anything about him, she wished more than anything she had been allowed the chance to do so. She wished that they had met under different circumstances, that reality wasn't what was right in front of them.

As all these thoughts ran through her mind, they must have also ran across her face for she saw Yahiko's eyes reflect some of the same things and then abruptly turn hard. Almost as if he had placed a wall between them, a wall that had previously been removed. Kisara recognized it as the same impartial gaze that he had trained on her the first time they had met, what seemed like ages ago in the Big House.

 _That's it,_ she thought hopelessly to herself, _whatever we had is gone now. And only duty remains._ Kisara took one deep, cleansing breath, and moved forward to her future, one what was as lonely as she supposed Yahiko's would be. And even that thought, so true, gave her no comfort.

* * *

Kira lazily swirled around the last traces of wine in his long-stemmed glass. His blue eyes which usually never stopped moving, had taken a break for a moment to admire the patches of rainbows which danced on the table in front of him. The rainbows were beautiful, made by the wine glass and the candle light, and seeing them steadied him. He needed steadying, especially after having to sit through that nauseating ceremony during which he had been forced to marry off his baby sister to that _disgusting_ man.

His grip on the glass hardened, not enough to break the delicate stem, but enough to turn his already pale skin whiter with rage. _You know you had little choice,_ he reminded himself, _without this agreement, the entire village would starve before the winter was over._ The reminder, while mostly true, didn't help his guilty feelings.

Releasing his death grip on the glass, he drained it in a quick movement before placing it lightly back on the table. Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by the presence of the Raikage.

"Yukikage-sama, I wanted to offer my supreme congratulations on this happy union."

Kira had to force his lip not to curl in distaste regarding the word 'happy' before replying, "Raikage-sama, your congratulations are most appreciated as are your lovely gifts for my sister and my clan." He bowed slightly, always the gracious Lord.

The Raikage nodded at the acknowledgement of the decorations he and the rest of Hidden Cloud had created for the occasion. "It was my pleasure." The two continued their usual pleasantries for several more minutes, Kira aware with each word that both Kages knew they were simply playing the usual political games. _Always must keep up appearances,_ he mused to himself while distaste filling his mouth in place of the sweet wine.

Finally their conversation dwindled and the Raikage excused himself, claiming he was needed with some of the members of his council in a far corner. Kira was more than happy to see him go, finding no solace in his presence. He turned back to his empty glass when a shadow fell across his plate.

"Yukikage-sama, yo!"

Kira turned to look and saw the Raikage's younger brother (bodyguard?), B, jog up to the table. "Hello B-san, are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, this time not too bothered, he had liked B from the moment he first met him.

"Oh yeah, this party is fine! But do you have a moment to bust a rhyme?"

Kira blinked at him, not sure what he meant, "I beg your pardon?".

"This party is sure happenin', but you looked like you could use a little somethin'." And he pulled out a small flask from his pocket, swishing it a little in explanation.

Kira's face broke into a full smile, the first one he thought he had all day, and nodded. The two made their way out of the wedding reception, away from all the noise and chaos. Kira breathed a sigh of relief; at least he didn't have to deal with his guilt without a little help.

Kisara must have shaken hands with at least three hundred well-wishers by the time she had finally been able to take a seat at the main table. Lord Matsuoka had surprised her by staying by her side the entire evening. She had to admit that she found it a bit odd. Usually the Lord spent most of his time away from Kisara and she had assumed he would treat their wedding day the same. However, ever since the ceremony, he had been by her, engaging her in conversation, the works. Almost as if he cared about her. It was creepy and she had to stop herself from drawing away at his slight touches each time he took her hand or caressed a bare shoulder.

As soon as the Lord shook hands with the last guest, he joined Kisara, and the two had a chance to eat some of the delicious food that had been prepared. Kisara was actually able to enjoy herself for a few minutes as she tried one of the Hidden Cloud specialties, braised mountain goat. She signed as the meat melted in her mouth. She was so focused on her food that she didn't notice the Lord staring at her. All at once she glanced his way and stopped chewing, her mouth full of the goat meat. Finding the Lord still staring after several seconds, she finished chewing and then swallowed less than delicately before asking,

"Everything alright, my Lord?"

"Hmm? Of yes, I am simply admiring my new wife in her beautiful dress." He smiled pleasantly at her, an odd look in his eyes. Kisara shivered but it wasn't from a draft.

"Oh, why, thank you." She answered honestly, though she had to admit she was thrown off by his look. Usually when the Lord regarded her his eyes swept over her sparingly, doing no more than acknowledging her existence. However, tonight, the Lord seemed to be seeing her differently, his look almost hungry as his eyes trailed over her.

Kisara shifted uncomfortably, but was thankfully saved from having to continue the conversation when the Raikage approached, no doubt hoping to extend yet another congratulations to the happy couple. She turned towards him, plastering yet another too-happy smile on her face when just before he could reach her, the Lord did possibly the last thing she could ever imagine.

He stabbed the Raikage in the chest with his butter knife.

All at once, the room became silent. All conversation ceased as over three hundred pairs of eyes stared disbelievingly at the scene. Kisara, flanked on both sides by the two men, the Lord stretched out between them, hand retracting from its most recent, and possibly most bloody deed, the Raikage, stunned into place, glancing stupidly at the knife sticking out of the right breast pocket of his suit.

"BROTHER!" Came an absolutely anguished voice, and all guests turned to see the Raikage's younger brother, B, who had just returned from the terrace with Kira, staring at the three of them with horror.

The Raikage, seeing the inebriated state of his brother, attempted to calm him, even with the knife still quivering in his chest. "B! I'm okay, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding…calm down." He said the last two words with an almost pleading tone. One which puzzled Kisara, _shouldn't you be the one being told to calm down?_ She thought, still clearly in shock from the situation.

She glanced over at Lord Matsuoka, ensuring the man didn't have any other intent to impale her with cutlery when she saw him frowning at his hands, as though convinced that someone else directed his last action. However, her attention was torn from her new husband to see something even more terrifying. It appeared that B was attempting to transform.

Though, to what, Kisara had no idea.

His large form was teaming with energy, large holds of skin growing larger with each passing second, finally erupting into eight impossibly huge tentacles the color of bloody mud. His face elongated, large horns bursting forth, his bulk massing into the largest creature she had ever seen. Somehow fascinated by the disgusting scene, she found she couldn't look away.

"Eight Tales." Came the hushed word from the Raikage. She had almost forgotten he was there after witnessing the transformation. Glancing back she saw that B was now so large he was hitting the thirty-foot ceiling of the event hall, and still growing. Kisara gasped as his head hit it and then burst through, pieces of plaster raining down on the guests.

Everyone with the exception of the Shinobi in attendance began screaming in pure terror. The Raikage immediately began barking orders while at the same time pulling the knife violently out of his chest, blood drippling down the front of his formal wear. The Lord was surrounded by the Raikage's bodyguards, each ensuring he could do no further damage. Kisara found herself pushed aside and in back of the Cloud shinobi, she assumed as a way to protect her from the Tailed Beast.

And just like that, Kisara's carefully planned future crumpled around her like plaster from the ceiling.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13! Enjoy and please comment. Also, if you want to know the conversation Kisara is referring to, you will find it in chapter 4: steel and tears. Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Aftermath

Itachi took in the scene, at once switching to his Sharingan, his dark irises filling with the familiar red color, three tomoe of black dispersing themselves evenly within. Immediately he felt calmer, more capable…more powerful. It had been over two months since he had fully activated his blood-line limit, and though he hadn't minded the novelty of seeing things with his 'normal' eyes, he had to admit that he missed the clarity that the Sharingan provided him.

He glanced at Kisame and the two locked gazes, then each moved as one well-oiled machine. Itachi seemed to materialize in front of Kisara while Kisame moved to her side that was closest to the carnage. Kisara, already moving into a defensive position herself, was highly encumbered by her dress.

"Kisame, cover me, and protect Kisara." He stated smoothly, no longer needing the paltry camouflage of their codenames.

Kisame's only response was to chuckle with glee, Itachi smirked as well: it felt good to be himself again. He moved forward, pushing lightly past the stunned Lord Matsuoka and confused Cloud Shinobi, moving directly into the path of the Eight Tails. He glanced left and locked eyes with yet another fighter: Kira. The Yukikage had been attempting to calm the wayward Jinchuuriki, but no such luck. The beast had become enraged after seeing his brother's blood drawn and had lost himself in his madness, assisted as he was by the alcohol he had consumed. Kira's icy blue eyes narrowed as he took in Itachi's appearance, including the glinting Sharingan, though he offered no comment, choosing instead to get to the heart of the matter.

"…are you friend or foe?" He asked, attempting to triage the scene. Should he put all his focus on the Tailed Beast, or did Itachi pose another, greater threat?

"Friend…for the moment." Itachi replied, his eyes now locked on the larger target.

Kira was a smart man, and chose to take Itachi at his word, though it was obvious he had no qualms about facing Itachi as well if it came to that, and the two men joined forces in their attempt to manage the beast. Together, the men succeeded in forcing Eight Tails outside of the mansion and into the grounds. Itachi had time to glance back after a moment and assure himself that the rest of the wedding party and guests had come to no further harm, before turning his full attention to the fight in front of him. _I can't afford to think about her now,_ he reminded himself.

The two Shinobi fought side-by-side, moving faster than the untrained eye could see. Kira had unsheathed his sword and Itachi had to admire the swiftness of his strokes coupled with the grace of his movements, though, oddly, he was a little less adept that Kisara at merging Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu. At timed intervals, he watched as Kira unleashed the blood-line limit of his clan, the Yukidurama signature style of Ice Jutsu.

Itachi complemented Kira's style with his kunai and visual prowess. The two succeeded after only minutes of forcing the beast back and into a corner. It was a natural formation of the mountains where the mansion had been built. Just as Itachi had planned. Finally, when the beast had been beaten down, unable even for a moment to succeed in charging enough chakra for a Tailed-Beast Bomb, Itachi unleashed his masterstroke: the Mangikyo Sharingan. He jumped up the side of the cliff behind the beast and came level with its eye. It only took a moment, but he locked it in his gaze, forcing it under his command and into a sudden fugue state.

Kira, having noticed that Itachi had somehow managed to buy them more time, jumped up to meet him. "So, that's the Sharingan." He said evenly. "And you must be Itachi Uchiha the Clan-killer."

"…Yes." Itachi replied just an evenly, not disappointed that the Yukikage had caught on so quickly. All according to plan.

"Might I ask what someone like you is doing out here?"

"You may, but you won't get an answer."

"Hm. Of course." Kira looked away from Itachi, studying the beast that appeared to be in a deep trance, all thanks to Itachi's eyes. Both men turned away from the beast and saw that Cloud ninja were swiftly approaching. Perfect timing for the plan.

"Even if I told you, it wouldn't matter as you will soon forget I even existed." Itachi replied casually.

Kira's face whipped back around to face Itachi, instantly on guard, but he was too slow, with one look Itachi had caught him. His eyes had morphed, taking on the new shape of the Mangikyo, a pinwheel pattern of black and red.

"Forget." And with one word, Itachi sealed his plan. With the Tailed Beast subdued enough that he and Kisame could take him back to Hidden Rain, he had only to wipe their existence from the mind of everyone at the party, the guests, the Kages...even Kisara.

They would believe that B had gone berserk during the wedding, and had fled. By the time they caught onto their trail, they would be too late. The Tailed Beast would be drained from B's body, leaving him to die. And Akatsuki would be one step closer to their goal. The beauty of the plan was that no one would be the wiser, and he and Kisame wouldn't have to kill anyone besides their original, eventual, sacrifice.

For a moment Itachi's mind lingered on Kisara, he would be…displeased to wipe him from her mind…but he know that he had no choice. It was the only way she would be able to live unsuspected by the Hidden Cloud.

At least, that had been Itachi's plan.

"…Forget what, Uchiha-san?"

Itachi continued to stare, his face blank from confusion at first, and then his eyes grew wide with horror and disbelief.

"Forget what?" Kira said again, still highly defensive, ready for Itachi to strike at any moment. The only problem was that Itachi _was_ striking. With Genjutsu.

Itachi couldn't answer because for some reason, his Mangikyo Sharingan wasn't working. He couldn't penetrate through Kira's consciousness, couldn't make him do anything. The reality of the situation hit him so hard his concentration over the Eight Tails faltered: _Genjutsu doesn't work on him!_

Suddenly, the Eight Tails snapped back from his dissociative state and back into his mad rage. The beast took advantage of the distracted Shinobi and with one quick chakra blast Itachi watched in total surprise as the chakra blasted him into the mountain wall which surrounded the mansion. He didn't get back up.

Quickly realizing his carefully orchestrated plan was falling apart around him; Itachi regained his focus before the beast could turn on him and sent him into a deep suggested slumber. Turning once more to see that the Yukikage bad indeed been injured, but not killed, he stood still, stunned at his current situation.

The Cloud Shinobi approached and Itachi made a split second decision: at least part of the plan would succeed. He cast his Genjutsu over them and moved on.

Disconcerted, but not distracted by how events had been turned on their heads, he headed back to the event room, not bothering to switch off his Sharingan. He was immediately bombarded with hysterical lords and ladies, all streaming from the wreckage of the wedding party. He made his way back to Kisame, still guarding Kisara as Itachi had asked.

He couldn't look at her.

But he could tell she was looking at him.

He got up enough nerve and his red eyes met her green ones. She had been crying, but from anger or fear he couldn't tell. Her wedding dress had been torn to tatters, her silver hair coming down around her beautiful face.

"Yahiko…what is going on? What happened to Kira?"

He closed his eyes briefly, pinching his nose from the stress, noticing that for the first time she had uses his alias without honorifics. "My name isn't Yahiko." He said this briefly and turned his red eyes to the Lord Matsuoka.

"I release you, and you will remember nothing of this."

The Lord nodded dumbly and slumped forward on the table, his face embedding itself in a spare slice of cake.

"What? What are you talking about? What is going on?!" Kisara's voice was on near hysterical levels. Itachi had to rectify the situation, and he had to do it now. He glanced around and saw that all the wedding guests had fled, and all the Cloud Shinobi, including the Raikage, had congregated around the Eight Tails, attempting to cox him back into his human form. His trick had worked, no one would remember them…aside from the Yukikage and they would be gone before he was revived.

"I'm sorry" He said shortly, but softly, as he turned and grasped Kisara by the shoulders, her soft skin feeling so warm underneath his own, as he unleashed the full power of the Mangikyo Sharingan on her.

Or at least, that's what he meant to do.

"Sorry about what?! What is up with your eyes?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Her voice was becoming ragged, her breathing coming in short ragged gasps. She began to fight his grip, attempting to shove him aside as she attempted to go find Kira. Then, like the run rising in the morning, realization dawned in her eyes. "…is that the Sharingan?"

"Not you too." He muttered, heavily annoyed at the situation. "Kisame, plan b."

"What's that?" The blue Shinobi asked, eyes wide with attention, trying to anticipate his surroundings.

"We run. All three of us." He replied grimly.

"Heh. This is turning into total shit, isn't it?"

Itachi's only response was to begin his retreat. He heard Kisame snort in disbelief and then make a low grunting sound which meant that he had picked up Kisara and tossed her over his shoulder. Her shriek and yell of protest confirmed it.

So much for getting out of the Land of Lightening unseen and undetected. He rolled his eyes to himself.

The two Shinobi raced through the grass, putting leagues between themselves and the mansion with each passing moment. They continued on, and Itachi noticed that Kisara had wisely stopped struggling and decided to drop her protests, choosing instead to shrink closer to Kisame's shoulder, or at least as much as she could with her dress.

"Alright, this is far enough." Itachi halted abruptly, though Kisame was able to stop a hairs-width from his back.

"For what? What are you guys doing?" Kisara's voice came from up above his head.

"Getting us out of here." He felt Kisame's unencumbered hand rest on his shoulder and with a set of complex hand signals, they were gone. Only the light indentations in the grass that had been under their feet were left to give any indication that anyone had been there at all.

* * *

Kisara felt the release of chakra one minute, and the next she felt herself begin to teleport through some unknown jutsu. Terrified, she gave one more try for wriggling out of Haru's grip before he clamped down and they were gone.

Immediately she felt as though she couldn't breathe, like the atmosphere was converging around her, squeezing all of the remaining air from her lungs. Then, just as suddenly, the pressure quickly dissipated, leaving her gasping for air along with her two companions.

She looked around, senses slightly disoriented, but quickly gathering herself together enough to attempt to defend herself if the need arose. But it seemed to be unnecessary. The trio stood at the mouth of a long cave, the entrance barely big enough to fit Haru's bulk and even then he would have had to crouch to avoid hitting his head.

As she looked around, she could just make out the ceiling, rising about twelve feet, gradually moving up and up as it moved away from the opening. The rest of it hidden by the gloom and the gathering dusk, it was definitely nowhere she had ever been before.

Indeed it was not.

The two men made their way into the cave, Haru indeed having to crouch low to avoid hitting himself and Kisara on the doorway. Once inside, Kisara jumped a little as Yahiko…or whatever his name was lit a fire with his jutsu in a carved out alcove that was obviously a fireplace. Haru, seeing she wasn't about to bolt, gently placed her on the ground, the tips of her ruined wedding dress whispering as they slid across the stone floor.

Once she was free, she backed away from the two men, both of whom were watching her intently, as though she were a time-bomb about to burst. Two pairs of eyes watched her and with a shiver, she realized she had no idea who accompanied her in this cave.

"Who are you?" She stood up straight with as much dignity as she could manage as she asked this question totally aware of their advantage over her. They knew where they were, she did not, they were armed, weapons easily accessible, and her weapons were hidden. They knew far more about her than she ever thought she knew about them. In any Shinobi's book, that was as good as a death-sentence.

"Kisame Hoshigake" Haru said as he bowed deeply to her. "Missing-nin of Hidden Mist, currently a member of the notorious Akatsuki group".

She studied him. Kisara wasn't stupid, she was fully aware that these two men had been hired and offered a large sum of money to protect her. She was aware that any Shinobi worth their salt would provide an alias when serving outside of their Hidden village. What she hadn't expected were missing-nins, mercenaries yes, but not wanted criminals.

"Kisame-kun," She started, finding in her surprise that his name fit him much better than Haru, "You may as well be a stranger to me. I understand the need for a cover. How much of it was real?"

Kisame cocked his head, thinking hard. "Besides my name and rank, it was all me girlie. You can't fake being this awesome." He grinned at her. "Besides the 'Lady' thing. Not my style."

"I think I could guess that." She said dryly and began to relax. Now for Yahiko. She turned towards the raven-haired man. "And you? I think I can puzzle it out. You wield the Mangikyo Sharingan, and look to be about my age. That makes you either a lucky Uchiha who escaped the massacre, or you were the one who caused it." She said this softly, as if daring him to contradict her.

"Which do you think?" A dark expression passed over his face, daring her right back.

"Itachi Uchiha." She murmured. "The famous clan-killer, heir to the Sharingan blood-line limit."

He nodded, and then made a statement of his own. "The Sharingan blood-line limit which had no effect on you…or your brother." Though it wasn't a question, she could feel his expectation that she explain herself.

She nodded, obliging him since it obviously wasn't a secret any longer. "Of course not, the main family lines of the Yukidurama are all immune to Genjutsu."

She said this harshly, bluntly, mostly because of how upset she was over her current situation. But decided to elaborate.

"Uchiha-san, do you remember one of the first conversations we had? Back in the Big House and we were going over my skill set?"

His red eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden turn of formal speech. "Yes." He said, probably deciding not to mention it though she had obviously dropped it for Kisame.

"Do you recall when you asked me about Genjutsu and I informed you that all Yukidurama were unable to use it?"

"Yes." His eyes now narrowed in concentration and Kisara amused herself for a moment, pretending she could see his mind churning out possibilities behind his face.

"We are unable to use it because we are immune to it. No magic, no tricks. We can't see it and we can't be susceptible to it. Only watch as our comrades become enraptured by illusions we will never experience, incapable of giving them aid. In short: your greatest asset is useless against me." She directed that last segment at him, meeting his eyes without fear, something she suspected he hadn't experienced in quite some time.

* * *

Itachi breathed a sigh of relief and irritation; relief for the simple fact that their mission was over, and irritation as to how it could have gone so wrong. Realizing this, the three had hunkered down inside the cave for the night, agreeing there was no sense in moving on until morning.

He glanced over at Kisara's sleeping form, her silver hair glinting in the light of the fire, her earlier statement swirling around his head. _It would be just my luck that I meet a girl who actually is my equal, and I get hired to kill her._

He thought about that. For so long he had experienced almost unsurpassed skill and advantage over any opponent. Now here was a girl who not only had the possible skills to best him in standard combat, but his greatest asset was rendered useless against her. He had to admit that all the feelings he had for her up until now paled in comparison to how intriguing she this made her.

Itachi could deny it no longer. Despite his best efforts, he had to admit that he was interested in Kisara, not just because he found her to be stunningly attractive, but because she could actually mean a lot for him…and his future plans. It really was too bad, he mused, that she was not only married to another man, but that he had kidnapped her and almost killed her brother all in one day. It was a wonder that she didn't try to kill him in his sleep; he certainly wouldn't have blamed her for trying.

He leaned back against the smooth wall of the cave, thinking about his current situation. Of all the Shinobi who were present at the wedding, only Kira had been able to deduce who he actually was and could still remember it. His Genjutsu had seen to all the others. And due to the fact that he was a Yukidurama, and apparently immune to anything his Sharingan could throw at him (he halted his train of thought to roll his eyes) he could chose to expose Itachi, thereby ensuring the Akatsuki were blamed for the incident. And Kisara's disappearance.

However, if Kira was the kind of man Itachi thought he was, and if anything he still was an impeccable judge of character, Kira would have chosen to tell no one of Itachi's identity.

The reason being too-fold: first of all, he wouldn't want to take the chance that Itachi would hold Kisara hostage or otherwise harm her, and second of all, he would want to at least salvage what he could from the alliance with Lord Matsuoka and the Hidden Cloud. Yes, Kira might choose to reveal Itachi's identity, but not yet. In fact, there was the chance that no one would believe him since Kira would have been the only witness.

That meant that Itachi and Kisame had time; time to return to base and ensure that the two people who could potentially overcome him, Kisara and Kira, were safely factored into the rest of his plans. He folded his heavy Akatsuki cloak around him which he had finally recovered from his sealing scroll, and attempted to get at least a few hours of rest.

* * *

Kisara threw up her travel hood to shield herself from the rain. She shivered as she trudged through the city streets, avoiding large puddles with her sandaled feet. Being a Shinobi of Hidden Frost, she was used to cold weather, but cold rain was another thing. She would take the wildest of snow storms over this depressing drizzle.

She glanced ahead and saw the matching black cloaks with red clouds of her former-body-guards-turned-kidnappers through the crowds. She hastened her pace, avoiding a mother with two young children in tow as she did so. She caught up with Kisame and Itachi (she had given up calling him Uchiha-san after the first night) and the three of them stopped just in front of a very tall building.

"We are here." Itachi said smoothly, moving forward once again, his steps leading him to the large riveted metal door.

Kisara caught Kisame grinning at her and she stuck her tongue out at him before she followed the black-haired man.

Itachi reached out his right hand, the one that had a large ring on it, which seemed to signal the doors to unlock for he met no resistance as he pushed the door inwards.

Kisara swallowed nervously, but resolutely followed, Kisame just behind her. They entered the ground floor of the building and faced a large staircase which led up to all of the floors above and what looked like a few underground levels below. She continued to follow Itachi's steps as they rose to the third floor. Each floor they passed was designed similarly, bleak metal walls each riveted in place, some of the older panels rusted from the relentless rain.

However, the third floor was actually rather…homey. Yes, she supposed that was the word. The walls were painted a relaxing taupe color, little tables and plush arm chairs decorating the front room all situated pleasantly close to a crackling fire. It would have been very calming if it hadn't been the headquarters of the Akatsuki.

Before two nights ago, Kisara had never heard of that organization. In fact she had hardly even heard of the Uchiha besides the police force that the Yukidurama had modeled theirs after. The only other thing she knew was that several years ago, for no apparent reason, the Uchiha clan had been massacred in one night leaving two survivors: Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. It was rumored that the older brother, Itachi, had been the one to complete the massacre, but Kisara had a hard time seeing it, even if it was true.

She found that over the last two days since the trio began their journey to Hidden Rain and the Akasuki headquarters, that Kisame had been right, really, the only things they two had changed had been names and appearances. The two engaged in the same manner of conversation, general habits and casual banter as Haru and Yahiko. It was…oddly comforting to Kisara.

As soon as light hit the cave the day after her wedding, the two men had fished out a summoning scroll and retrieved their cloaks, headbands, and discarded weapons. Kisara had to admit that she was truly fascinated by Kisame's sword, Samehada, after all, what Yukidurama wouldn't be?

Luckily, they weren't the only ones to be prepared. An old habit of a Shinobi had prompted her to keep her own, much smaller, summoning scroll strapped to her thigh beneath her dress. In it she had placed a set of mission clothes, her other Shinobi gear including her headband…and of course her sword, _Yoarashi,_ given to her by Kira what seemed years ago, but had only been weeks.

She had donned these things including a thick cloak, and replaced them in the scroll with her tattered wedding dress. She had rolled up the scroll and replaced it in its holster on her thigh. Once it sat there, she began to feel like she could face whatever lay before her.

Even if that 'whatever' _was_ the entire Akatsuki organization.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the late updates, I have been re-reading the story and going back to fix typo's etc. If you have already read the story, don't worry, I didn't change anything major, just made it more pleasant to read. Thanks so much again and as always, please provide any feedback, and I do not own Naruto!**

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Chapter 14: The Akatsuki

Kisara looked around the sitting room which was near the entrance to the third floor. She was nervous and showed it by fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She had donned it in the cave before she and Kisame and Itachi had left two days ago, and she still found comfort in the simple mission clothes after weeks of wearing suffocating silk kimono.

The last two days had been rough, not just because it was so different from the luxury she had grown used to at Lord Matsuoka's mansion (she found she still couldn't think of the man as her husband), but because of how strained her relationship with the two men had become.

To put it simply, Kisara didn't know how she could trust them.

Not for some petty reason like the fact that they ruined her wedding, but for the fact that they had chosen to _force_ her to come with them! On top of trapping the Lord in a Genjutsu and forcing him to stab the Raikage as well as getting her brother injured.

The morning after the wedding she had asked Itachi why he couldn't just let her go, let her turn back, but his answer was incredibly irritating.

"Because you know who we are."

"What does that matter? I wouldn't tell anyone! What good would it do me to reveal you?"

Itachi had stopped his checking of weapons and turned to face her, "It would do you a great deal to pin all the disruption on the Akatsuki, thereby relieving yourself and the Yukidurama of any blame. By taking you with us I have ensured that your brother does not reveal my identity as my connection to the Akatsuki." He had turned back around and continued cleaning his kunai.

Kisara had opened her mouth to protest but was stopped by Kisame's voice.

"I wouldn't push him girlie. Itachi rarely explains himself to anyone. You should count yourself lucky that he even answered your question at all." And he continued checking his gear.

After that, Kisara had chosen to avoid talking to both men as much as possible. She found that she was better able to keep her temper in check that way. She thought that if she wasn't careful, she might actually punch the black-haired missing-nin in the face after all the trouble he had caused her. _And in less than twenty-four hours too!_

Instead she decided to focus on the future, including her destination in Hidden Rain.

Now, two days later, she still hadn't decided what she was to do, or just what was to happen to her. She shifted her weight uneasily from foot to foot, waiting for something to happen.

Then something did.

A door opened somewhere down the far hall, and a purple-haired women with striking eyes walked out. Her head was down at first, frowning slightly at some paperwork. Then, as if just then realizing she wasn't alone, she raised her head and blinked at the trio.

"…Itachi-kun, Kisame-kun…you are back early."

"Konan-san." Both the men echoed and inclined their heads.

"Who's this?" Konan asked, eyes trained on Kisara.

Itachi stepped forward. "This is Kisara Yukidurama. We had some…complications on our last mission and have taken her hostage." He said this as easily as if he was discussing the weather.

Kisara had to stop herself from dislocating her neck with the force she whipped it around to stare at Itachi. Luckily, both Konan and Itachi were staring at each other so they didn't notice her bewilderment.

"…hostage?" The woman frowned and then eyed Kisara with greater interest. "What good would that do us?"

Kisara chose not to answer, knowing suddenly that through this woman looked to be as delicate as the flower she kept in her hair, but looks could be deceiving.

"Allow me to explain to Leader" was the Uchiha's only reply.

* * *

Itachi was almost sweating from the weight of Leader's stare. Almost.

"The girl is immune to Genjutsu, you say?" Was Pein's cold reply, his ringed Rinnegan penetrating every corner of the room.

"Yes Leader. I haven't encountered anything like it. Her brother is the same way."

"…interesting. Leave it to you, Itachi-kun, to find the one clan who could crumple all of our plans. But you said you have taken her hostage?" Pein quirked one orange eyebrow at the oddness of Itachi's choice, "Why not just kill her?".

"I thought she would be useful for the organization. With her other abilities, she would be formidable enough, but if she were to be acquired on our side that leaves one less person to interfere with our plans."

"I see. You wish her to join us." Pein straightened and then folded his arms over his chest in thought.

"…if you find her to be useful". Itachi said softly.

Pein regarded Itachi intently for one long minute before replying, "I won't honor your request just yet, Itachi-kun. I would like to…test her first. If she fails, I hold you responsible." His lips curled up in an amused smile.

Itachi felt his blood run cold, but replied. "As you wish."

* * *

Itachi trudged down the stairs, away from the fifth floor which was where Pein and Konan kept their quarters, back to the third floor which was where he and Kisame kept their quarters along with most of the other members. He was deep in thought and almost didn't react in enough time to avoid knocking into Deidara.

"Watch it, yeah!" The blonde-haired Shinobi muttered, annoyed by Itachi's presence as usual.

Itachi chose not to reply and continued on his way to the main sitting room. He saw Kisame lounging around in one of the armchairs, one foot extended out, hands clasped on his chest, the picture of relaxation. He looked up expectantly as he sensed Itachi's presence.

"So how did it go?"

Itachi shook his head, indicating that nothing concrete had been decided.

"Let me guess…a test?" Kisame cocked an eyebrow.

Itachi nodded in agreement. He preferred to talk as little as possible at the base; it allowed for less…incidents with the rest of the organization.

"Yo, what are you two talking about?" Deidara signed, easing his weight tiredly in one of the chairs.

"None of your business, pip-squeak." Kisame replied.

Deidara's one visible eye narrowed, and he was about to respond with no-doubt a rude comment when something else caught his eye from beside Itachi.

Itachi turned to see Kisara, walking from the opposite hallway from where Konan had come earlier. She was dressed in her simple mission outfit, Hidden Frost headband snugly in place on her forehead. She had a slight smile on her face and Itachi noticed that her shoulders and overall posture were more relaxed than he had seen in weeks. She appeared to have freshly showered and the delicious smell of her hair wafted into the room. She looked beautiful.

"Hey Kisara-chan. Come and sit by me." Kisame cracked a grin at her.

She shrugged in response and took the seat next to Kisame, right across from Deidara.

Kisara and Deidara locked eyes and Kisara smiled at him. Deidara blushed as his eye took in her entire image. "Hi, I'm Kisara Yukidurama." She said as she extended her arm.

Deidara introduced himself and shook her hand, obviously very taken by her because he stumbled over his own name and blushed even more brightly.

Itachi found himself frowning at the scene, his teeth clenched with discomfort and dislike. This was going to be a problem.

* * *

Kisara lay back against _her_ pillow which was in _her_ bed which was in _her_ room. In the Akatsuki headquarters. In Hidden Rain. And honestly she was too tired to even think about how much her life had changed in the last six months. First she had been a normal Kunoichi of Shimogakure, and then she had gone to being the betrothed of a powerful Lord of Hidden Cloud. Then, after finally getting married she had quickly become a hostage of the Akatsuki. Konan had taken her while Itachi had gone to speak to 'Leader', whoever that was, and explained that she was essentially in limbo. The Akatsuki wouldn't harm her while she remained, but she wasn't to leave Hidden Rain until this 'Leader' person had come to a decision. For now, she would be their guest, for lack of a better term.

How the hell did it come to this? She thought, bemused. Shaking her head slowly, she settled under the covers and was just about to turn off her light when someone knocked lightly at her door.

She sat, up and cautiously approached the door, opening it to reveal Itachi's face, the sharp curve of his chin and cheek bones sketched in sharp relief thanks to the light of her solitary bed-side lamp.

"Itachi-san…?" She found she couldn't finish her question, for the man had the oddest look in his eyes, a look which made her uneasy.

"Kisara-san…would you mind if I came in to speak to you?" He said very carefully as though warry that she might strike him or yell at him.

"Alright." She said finally, and stepped back to allow him entrance.

He stepped inside the modest room, slowly taking in the layout. Her room consisted of a bed, desk and closet. The desk had a chair to accompany it, but besides that the only other place to sit was the bed itself. Kisara pulled out the chair and sat on it, gesturing to the bed giving Itachi permission to sit.

He did so and then training his red gaze on her. "You have questions." A statement, not a question. How typical of him, though the thought was not a comfort.

Kisara signed. "Honestly Itachi-san, I have thousands but I am so tired that I don't even know where to start." She leaned back in the chair, defeated from the marathon of events over the last few days.

He nodded as if he expected this. "Then may I explain some things to you?" This time it was a true question.

Kisara nodded, far too tired to argue.

Itachi registered her assent, but then turned his eyes to the carpeted floor. "I wanted to let you know…I never planned for things to be this way. Kisame and I were on a scouting mission originally…protecting you allowed us access into Hidden Cloud, but also served the dual function of earning money for the Organization. After the…wedding, we were to leave you in peace." He seemed to struggle over the word 'wedding', though through the rest of his explanation his voice remained calm and steady.

"…And what happened to change your plans?" Kisara asked, interested. She might finally get some answers.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, and he softly said, "We were hired to kill you."

Kisara blinked, then shifted slightly, put on guard by his statement. "By whom?"

"Lord Matsuoka."

Kisara sat back deeper in the chair, her eyes scanning the wall behind his head but not really seeing it. Her mind was wheeling in shock. But then, like pieces of a puzzle, an explanation began to take shape in her mind. After a few minutes, Kisara's mind stopped and her mouth curled up to a grim smile, and she chuckled, her eyes left the wall to stare at the ceiling.

Though she couldn't see it, a rustle of movement told her that Itachi had brought his head up to stare at her once she had started to laugh in earnest.

"Of course he would do that." She said, satisfied that with two words, most of her questions had been answered. That was why the Lord had never tried to get to know her. That was why he had moved up the wedding, insisting she be moved to Hidden Cloud, and why he had hired complete and unknown strangers to protect her. The Lord had never actually _wanted_ to marry her; he had just wanted to control her birthright: the Hidden Frost village and the Yukidurama clan. Having her dead would ensure her inheritance would be directed to her new husband instead of being consolidated back into Hidden Frost…and the Lord would not only be single again, he would have a gigantic bargaining chip to hold over her brother. He may have even, given enough time, gathered enough support to go further still and be named to the board of elders of the Village. The sly bastard.

"Kisara-san?" Itachi's voice could have been concerned, or simply confused.

"It makes sense, really. After all, why would a fancy lord want to marry a poor Kunoichi, trained only to be a professional killer? A weapon of her Village? The simplest answer is usually the right one: he didn't. He only wanted to control my birthright." She said, explaining her train of thought to Itachi.

He nodded and continued. "There is more…if you would like to hear it."

Kisara lowered her gaze from the ceiling to meet his, and nodded.

And so Itachi told her. He told her what he hadn't even told Kisame.

* * *

Itachi finished his explanation of the full events of his last conversation with Lord Matsuoka and watched for Kisara's reaction. Her green eyes were hard as emeralds as she looked in his ruby ones. For someone like Itachi, whom most people would never willingly be brave enough to meet his gaze, for her to do so without fear was very intoxicating. He found his thoughts wandering slightly from the conversation, serious as it was, to the last encounter where they had been this close, but her voice snapped him back to reality.

"…I must say, if what you said didn't make perfect sense, I would question whether or not you were lying."

"I have no reason to lie to you." Itachi replied smoothly.

"I suppose not, unless there is a piece to the puzzle I am missing, and I seem to be missing most of it these days." She leaned back in the chair, arms folded over her chest. "So Lord Matsuoka wanted you to attack kill me and then kill Kira once he saw the murder in front of everyone. Since the Lord and I had just been married and both myself and Kira would be dead, he would get the total control and inheritance of Hidden Frost. Therefore freeing himself for another alliance and uniting both forces against a common enemy: the Akatsuki."

Itachi nodded, satisfied with her powers of deduction. It was the same conclusion he had come to the night of the conversation.

"It makes sense, given that he suspected who you are, to hire a known murdered. I must confess though, I am at a loss. Why didn't you go through with it?" Kisara asked, though no sarcasm bled through her words.

If Itachi had been another man, he might have been insulted that she thought so little of him, but he understood her question was more out of curiosity, and partly because she wanted to know what kind of man he truly was.

"Because the Lord misunderstood what kind of organization we are. We don't kill simply for money. We only kill if it benefits the cause, and though he would have paid us tenfold for the job, it wouldn't have furthered our goals in any real sense. In fact, it might have even set us back, having two major countries out for our blood." He said it simply, emotionlessly, being careful not to personalize too much.

No need for her to suspect that it was anything other than cold business. No need for her to suspect that though what he said was true, he still could have done it without massive damage to Akatsuki. No the real reason, the reason she mustn't even know for her own safety, and for his, was that Itachi couldn't kill her. He didn't think he could ever kill her.

He watched as she shifted forward in the chair, closing the gap between them until, if he cared to, he could reach out and touch her easily.

"Thank you for taking the time to explain this. Now I need to ask you one final question."

Suddenly more nervous than when he talked to Leader earlier, he nodded.

"Why did you kiss me?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright, here is chapter 15! Thanks everyone who has been patient with me, it's been one rough year. But I'm getting back into it and I hope you like the new turn that the story will take. A lot of this chapter is Kisara wrestling with her thoughts of Yahiko becoming Itachi. I hate hokey love stories, so I think it would be realistic for Kisara to have some doubts about her feelings instead of falling head-over-heels for the 'villain' of the story. But don't worry, there will be some...action...soon! Enjoy and comments are appreciated!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Getting to Know You (Reprise)

Through the entire conversation, Kisara had felt a whirlwind of emotions from betrayal to anger to shock. It was enough so that her last question really didn't shock her as much as it would have normally. Plus, she really was genuinely curious: why would a notorious S-class criminal kiss her? Or, another way to look at it, what would he gain by doing so?

"Why did you kiss me?" She had asked because it seemed so odd when she thought of what she now knew of Itachi. He seemed every bit the cool and collected criminal that he appeared. In fact, he had mostly succeeded when he was Yahiko of pulling off a similar façade; however, there had been the kissing. Twice, a force of passion she never thought she would have experienced from the man who was sitting across from her now.

She looked him in the eyes as she asked the question and at first there was no response. And still after several seconds he hadn't uttered a word, but the room had somehow shifted. Kisara felt hot, almost like she was wearing too many layers, though it was only a thin shirt and pants.

She looked away, suddenly self-conscious, feeling like she had somehow crossed a line. Feeling like she had somehow invaded his privacy. A ridiculous thought, given that he had invaded far more than that with her. He had crashed into her perfectly planned life and ripped it to shreds, leaving his own reality. It was almost as if he had cast a Genjutsu, though of course, there was no way she could ever experience that.

He had presented himself as someone who would protect her, someone who had given her hope throughout the darkness of her ever-present duty. Kisara would have, a week ago, gone so far as to say the man had made her think he cared for her, and in return, she had cared for him. For the Yahiko who had, even for a few moments, spared her from her true reality. A stupid thought, really. A thought that fit better for princesses and princes than for Shinobi who train essentially to kill for a living, it simply wasn't a part of their world.

Still no response, though Kisara hadn't taken the chance to look back in his direction. His silence was eerie. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

Kisara risked a look back at the raven-haired man and found that his scarlet gaze was trained at the floorboards, boring holes into the polished surface.

She found she couldn't look away from his hunched form on the bed. She took in the dark ebony hair, how it trailed down his back in the usual low tie. His hands, so powerful, clasped together, elbows rested on his knees. She swallowed uncomfortably. The man really was handsome. _The man is a known murdered, he slaughtered his entire family…and you think he's handsome?_ She chided herself. She had other things to worry about than Itachi Uchiha's sex appeal. But even so, she couldn't just _ignore_ it. After all, it was sitting in front of her in all its hard-muscled black-clad glory. And she had even seen those muscles, though briefly, in his room back in the mansion in Hidden Cloud.

Still, he looked at only the ground. Kisara found herself wishing he was looking at her.

She swallowed again, attempting to distract her thought-pattern about Itachi's muscles to something less…interesting. Quickly going over the facts, Kisara found that some didn't add up. Itachi was supposed to be an S-class criminal, a man build for killing others…only when he was ordered to kill her and her brother, he did everything he could to avoid it. Sure, it was a ninja's job to kill on some occasions, she herself had done it, so why didn't he? He had been ordered to do so by his employer, her husband, but he had resisted and placed him under a Genjutsu in an effort to cause a big enough distraction to allow for a clean escape for himself and Kisame.

Overall, she found the situation odd, even given his explanation that "that's not the kind of organization Akatsuki is". Something didn't add up with Itachi Uchiha. And, given that he was now her host, along with the entire Akatsuki organization, Kisara needed to find out what that was. Her life, along with the fate of her Village, depended on it.

She had been studying Itachi for several minutes, his eyes trained at the floor presumably in thought over how to answer her latest question. Suddenly, he sat up, his eyes locked to hers, fiery red from the strength of his Genjutsu that could never, ever touch her. Kisara shivered, but still didn't look away. Slowly, so slowly, Itachi's mouth moved into a cool smirk.

"I thought you were pretty."

"…you thought I _was_ pretty?" she asked, confusion, and slight disappointment after he took so long to answer the question, bled through the fatigue that had ebbed away when their conversation started, but had begun to creep back with insidious spirit.

Itachi rose from the bed to stand solidly in front of her chair. He leaned down and placed both of his hands on either side of her, trapping her, and leaned down so that their faces were mere inches from one another.

"…Yes. Though, now I find you quite beautiful." And placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

* * *

Itachi, tired as he was from the events of the past few months, found that his exhaustion couldn't dampen his feelings. He felt strange, his emotions ranging from guilt over his actions that resulted in Kisara's current fate, to a sudden, and powerful desire to, as Kisame put it, fuck the woman. He was startled at the strength of it, and began to immediately regret coming to Kisara's room so late. Gods, how he wanted her.

He had begun the conversation with calm and detachment. He had expressed his experience talking with the woman's husband (his stomach turned nastily at the word) and shared what information he deemed necessary. He had sat back after his explanation, watching Kisara carefully. When she had begun to laugh, he was perplexed until he realized it was out of the feeling of pain. In that moment, he had wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but he crunched the impulse down. He needed to see what she would do next before he would allow himself to act.

After all, he was no longer Yahiko. He had discarded that mask, and theoretically, any semblance that he cared for the woman seated in front of him.

If only it could have been that easy.

His father's words echoed back to him from the abyss "You are truly a kind child".

Such always had been, and would always be Itachi's curse. His feelings, too strong for a Shinobi, had been placed under tight control. When he was younger, he found it difficult to place attachment in others, the one true area where his peers had always surpassed him in the academy; the ability to make friends.

Indeed, the only person that he had loved other than his mother, father, and Sasuke, had been Shisui. Then, Shisui had killed himself, leaving him his greatest weapon, the Mangikyo Sharingan, and enough power to put down his scheming clan and prevent civil war within Hidden Leaf. But in conjunction, the death had broken Itachi's heart.

The night he had ended the lives of his parents…that had been the last time Itachi had cried. It was also the last time he had allowed himself to truly feel the depths of his emotions. The pieces of his broken heart had been shattered further with every stroke of his blade. For all the years since, he had trained himself to suppress any strong emotions, to carefully analyze his feelings. All for his ultimate goal. It was all for the goal of saving his baby brother, for he had long since given up any aspirations for himself.

Now though, for the first time since Shisui was lost, he had found someone that seemed to connect with him, or rather, that he allowed himself to connect to. And, of course, it had to be the lovely woman in front of him with the one trick up her sleeve and enough physical ability to actually defeat him.

The smart thing would be for Itachi to kill her. Then, to kill her brother. Itachi had always done the smart thing. _And what has that gotten you?_ His mind echoed back cruelly. _A dead best friend, a dead family, a brother who hates you, and a one-way ticket to hell._

What would it be like, he wondered, to do the dumb thing?

He smiled, not a true smile, but a smirk.

She really _was_ beautiful.

He kissed her.

She slapped him, and he didn't even flinch.

* * *

It became clear after several days in the Akatsuki compound that Itachi Uchiha wanted Kisara. She could feel it, plain as day, like a summer heat rolling off of the sand on the beach. He wasn't even bothering to hide it. It would have been incredibly hot if Kisara wasn't one of two things: married, and also on guard, constantly, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But, she wasn't immune.

Still, she didn't succumb. She wasn't stupid after all. She was a prisoner (guest) of the Akatsuki, and her stay wouldn't last forever. Mostly, she stayed in her room, attempting to get snatches of sleep in-between keeping up her training and her constant vigilance. Also, her own self-appointed mission: to find out as much as she could about the Akatsuki and its members.

She figured that it could only aid her in the long-run. Where she to escape, she would have valuable information to pass back to her own Village and perhaps they could even sell it to others and make a profit. However, where she to stay for an unknown stretch of time, it would help her with surviving her situation. Finally, if they killed her, at least she would have relieved some of her boredom before the end.

So far, she had only met a handful of the members. Of course Itachi and Kisame, but she had also met Deidara, whom she had found to be charming, for a fifteen year-old, along with Konan. By far, Konan was the most mysterious, only saying a few words in passing, ensuring she was settled, et cetera.

Kisame, on the other hand, was the most vocal, and probably the one she knew the best. This was mostly because he seemed to have told her the truth in the cave; he really _had_ only changed his name. Otherwise, Kisame was Hatsuharu and vice versa, down to every toothy smile and bad joke.

It seemed that overall Itachi was the one that she knew the best after Kisame. He too, seemed to have told the truth as his behavioral and speech patterns hardly varied from the ones he used when he was Yahiko. Kisara supposed that it made sense though, why change something that no one would ever know or use against you in a disguise? Especially in a long-term mission like they were on when they were her body guards, easier to slip out of character if you change a lot of things about yourself.

It seemed that the only thing that _had_ changed about Itachi was Kisara's assumptions about his past. Other than that, it was Kisara who had changed the most. Now, with the Akatsuki, she could go back to being a Shinobi. There were no fancy parties to attend, no one to impress with her looks. She could be what she trained to be her entire life. She couldn't deny that it was a relief to be herself again. The only problem was, it seemed that Itachi was beginning to notice, and to enjoy the truly 'Shinobi' side of her.

When he was Yahiko, Kisara had guessed (and hoped) that Itachi had been attracted to her. Obviously their two encounters had confirmed that. But now, Kisara knew that Itachi, _Itachi,_ himself seemed to want her. And she wasn't sure she entirely minded, though in the back of her head, she still found it concerning, and confusing.

It had been nice, wonderful even, feeling the lips of Yahiko on hers. In Kisara's desperate circumstances, she had even grown to care for Yahiko...maybe she even would have said love him over those several months together. But Itachi, though his behaviors were the same as Yahiko's…he felt like a different person. No, he _was_ a different person, than Yahiko had been.

Kisara couldn't meld the two together in her mind. The kindness and awkwardness of Yahiko mixed with the ruthless reputation of Itachi. It didn't seem to fit. If anything, she would say that the person she had seen when she thought he was Yahiko…that seemed to be the _real_ Itachi.

"Kisara-san." Kisara was jerked out of her thoughts, her hands clenching around the spine of a book from the Akatsuki's impressive library. She was sitting in the common room, a rare choice for her as she usually sat in her room, out of sight, always listening. But today she had decided to watch as well, only she had gotten so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't even senses another person's approach.

"Ah, yes Deidara-san?" She said, attempting to hide any trace of her troubling thoughts from her face.

"You look like you need some air, yeah?"

"That would be nice, but I was told I couldn't leave the building."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." He smirked something akin to a devil-may care look.

Looking at Deidara with skeptical eyes, she noticed a movement behind his head.

"So this…is our guest." A gravelly voice said. "How interesting. I heard you are immune to Genjutsu."

"Oh, this is Sasori of the Red Sand. My partner. He will be coming with us, yeah." The blonde shrugged, dismissing the...creature…that stood behind him. "And yes, she is. She doesn't hesitate to look Uchiha in the eyes, uh."

"Indeed. Partner. Perhaps she will give you a run for your money, with that right eye and all." The thing said, sarcasm matching the stone ninja's, syllable by syllable. He stood at Deidara's height, though he was hunched over, his back covered by the black and red clouds of Akatsuki. His head was covered by the usual straw hat, though Kisara could still see his eyes. She watched the figure turn away, Deidara following him. The figure, Sasori, seemed to move in brief jerking motions, almost like something man-made, like a machine.

"You coming?" Deidara raised one blonde eyebrow at her from across the room. She hadn't moved from her spot.

"I was informed by Konan not to leave the building." She answered.

"Oh, I know. It's fine though, Leader asked you to come with us. We are going on a mission, yeah." He grinned at her.

She blinked. "You mean, I get to go with you?"

"Tch, weren't you listening? That's what I said, yeah. And Leader said you were supposed to be smart. I won't have some dumb chick slow us down, no matter how hot she is." He had mumbled the last part, partially turning away from her, but she still caught it.

Well, it seemed that she had finally waited long enough for her test. Kisara steeled her shoulders. It appeared it was time to see what Akatsuki would throw at her.


End file.
